A Mage's Wish
by Dragonslab
Summary: In the flames of Fuyuki, Shirou Emiya's life alone is spared out of all who've perished by the person Shirou would soon consider his hero for the rest of his life: Irisviel Emiya. This is a story where Kiritsugu never entered Shirou's life and, along with his absence, Shirou never learned of magic. With the arrival of the 5th Fuyuki Grail War, what role will Shirou play?
1. Chapter 1

_Hell. That was the best way to describe it. Being surrounded by walking corpses of which were only a few inches away from death, having the soles of my old sneakers melt and burn into the pads of my feet, slowly losing the ability to breathe as the toxic smog of the fire penetrated my lungs and polluted them, and of course the red flames hissing and whipping away at my skin as I walked on, trying my hardest to find areas where the flames weren't raging. But it was no use; not an inch of my old hometown wasn't enveloped in the raging inferno. After having seen countless people screaming hellish moans at me from the charred remains of houses, begging for help as they slowly cooked to death, and after my own body had been blistered and charred all over from the relentless fire, I grew tired._

 _So, I myself found my own pile of embers and smoldering remnants to lay my weary body down on. Yes, if hell truly existed, then this had to be it. I blacked out. The next time I opened my eyes, it would be because I felt coolness dripping all over my body due to the rain pouring down from above. Had I survived? No, I surely died, but someone else seemed to have reeled my life back into this body. And it was her. A beautiful woman who looked as though she was a snowflake amidst a pool of lava. She was smiling down at me, her silky, white hair a mess and her crimson eyes filled with the strongest mixture of sadness and happiness I've ever seen. I was wrapped tightly in her arms, as though she thought if she let up on her grip even slightly, I would slip away again and be lost forever. Then she said to me:_ "You're so very right… To save one life means not saving another…"

I slowly open my eyes and then quickly shut them again as the harsh sunlight proves to be too much. I raise up my sore hands to rub my eyes with so that they can adjust quicker while I sit up from the hard, concrete floor I fell asleep on again last night. _Once again… that nightmare. If I keep having it every night, I'm not going to be able to get any full night's rests anymore…_ I sigh at the frustrating ordeal while opening my eyes to look out at the bright morning light pouring in through the doors to the shed. The grass in the yard still had some specks of dew on the blades and the sun still wasn't high above the house yet, indicating I didn't oversleep, thankfully. I look down at the floor to see the fruits of my labor from last night; the reason why I was so unrestful, other than the nightmare.

My bow was finally stringed to the perfect tightness. It took a lot of sweat and elbow grease, but I managed to do it just right, with my aching, blistered hands as proof. I pick up the heavy recurve bow and trace my finger along the bowstring that's anchored securely in place between the two limbs. I'd been noticing my performance in the club was lacking lately so I assumed it was because the string wasn't taut enough. I rise from my sitting position and grab a lone arrow on the woolen blanket I have strewn across the floor of the shed as well as the bow itself. In one swift motion, I knock the arrow and shoot it into the yard to pin a maple leaf that I noticed falling into the grassy soil about 15 meters away. _Looks like I was right. The string just needed to be tightened._ I lie the bow back down on the blanket next to my special project I've been working on and then I inhale deeply before bolting out of the shed as fast as I can towards the house, swiftly grabbing the arrow I lodged in the ground while doing so.

Once I get to the back doorway of the house, I flick the arrow in the air to make the maple leaf flutter off before heading into the house, closing the sliding door behind me. As I walk down the hallway to my left, I begin thinking about the nightmare once more. _It's been years since I've had that nightmare and now I'm suddenly having it every single night for the past week?_ I open the door to the bathroom and I start getting the tub ready for a hot bath. _Seriously, what the heck? I hope this doesn't mean something bad is about to happen…_ I shake off the silly thought as I remove my clothes once the tub is filled to the brim. I dip my toes in and slowly submerge myself into the almost scalding hot water while contently groaning out. "This sure does wonders for an aching body…"

My brows furrow in displeasure while I look over the contents of the refrigerator. Aside from the junk food piled up, there's almost no ingredients in there to use for breakfast. I decide to just make some fluffy omelets with rice and maybe some miso soup to go along with it. I really didn't want to go to the grocery after school today, but we won't be able to have a proper dinner tonight unless I do, and I'm not eating any of this junk food no matter what. I pull out the few ingredients I need to make the meager breakfast from the fridge while I fasten the apron around myself. While I crack the eggs into the mixing bowl, I hear the front door slide open and then close, indicating Sakura must have finally gotten here. "Sakura? That you?" I call out to her over my shoulder while I beat the eggs in the bowl with the whisk. I hear her walk into the dining room behind me as I prepare breakfast.

"Yes senpai, good morning. I'm sorry for the intrusion." I let out a soft laugh at the comment she made while kneeling down at the small table in the middle of the dining room.

"Sakura, you've been coming over here almost every morning for quite a while now. I wouldn't consider it intruding at this point, nor did I think it was when you first started doing so. You're basically a part of the family now." I wasn't looking at her, but I could tell what I said made her flustered. I continue preparing the soup while pouring the egg mixture into the pan to make the first omelet.

"A-Alright senpai, you're right. I just don't want you to think I'm not appreciative for letting me eat breakfast with you every morning… or anything." I smile at her comment. I knew Sakura was thankful for being able to visit this place every morning, but what I don't think she knows is how grateful _I_ am for her company.

While I place the food on the table, Sakura grabs the tea she prepared on the heater and brings it to the table as well before heading to the kitchen to grab some cups. As she does so, I hear the footsteps approaching from the hallway. I swallow nervously before staring at the doorway, anticipating her arrival. No sooner than I let my eyes fall upon the doorway to the dining room, she enters through it. Someone whiter than the purest white of winter's first snowfall, a person with features so exotic and beautiful that people would think she's some sort of deity. The woman with the visage of an angel walks over to me and gently and gracefully lowers herself to sit at the table next to me, still wearing her silky nightgown. She looks up at me with her eyes that still had traces of sleepiness and gives me a warm smile, as if it was meant to be a silent "good morning." This beautiful woman sitting before me is the one who saved my life all those years ago from the clutches of that hellfire; Irisviel Emiya.


	2. Chapter 2

"Irisviel, would you please have some decency? I shouldn't have to tell you every other morning that you should get dressed before breakfast…" I grumble out my complaints to the woman once again as I retrieve the rice cooker from the kitchen and set it next to the table. Irisviel looks down at her nightgown and pinches the fabric of the chest and lifts it while staring at it curiously as if she's inspecting it.

"Aww Shirou, don't be mean! I want to be comfortable whenever I'm in my own home and this nightgown is far more so than all of my dresses. Can't you at least let me be comfy when you abandon me and run off every day? Or do you want me to be lonely _and_ uncomfortable?" I see she wants to play it that way…

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry, Irisviel. Wear your pajamas all day and night if you want to for all I care." She grins victoriously at me and starts happily humming while I fix her a bowl of rice and some miso soup. Meanwhile, Sakura returned with the cups and began pouring each of us some tea. I nervously glance up at Irisviel from time-to-time as I prepare everyone their food. _I don't personally have a problem with her deciding to be comfortable in her pajamas all day, but I wish she'd choose a gown that wasn't as translucent… I can make out her lingerie beneath it…_

I eat my breakfast and try to keep to myself, other than occasionally exchanging a few words with Sakura about archery practice and other school-related things. Suddenly, Irisviel firmly places her bowl of miso soup down and looks at me with serious eyes. "Uh, w-what is it, Irisviel?" Her expression becomes even sterner, but then devolves into a pout all at once.

"That's just it, Shirou! How many times do I have to tell you? When are you going to stop calling me Irisviel? You should be calling me mommy!" My face heats up at her suddenly bringing this up in front of Sakura and I choke on the bite of omelet that was in my mouth, upon which I hear Sakura giggle to my left from across the table.

"W-Why would you- How many times do I have to tell you?! There's no way I could call you something like that!" Irisviel gets a devious grin which indicated to me she was nowhere near done teasing.

"Ohhhh? That so? Yet it isn't embarrassing for you to call me Irisviel?" I hear Sakura speak up right after Irisviel finishes as my face continues to grow even redder.

"I have to agree with her there, senpai… I could understand a foster child not wanting to call their parents 'mom' or 'dad'… and yet you feel comfortable referring to her on a first-name basis." My blush was reaching critical levels as the two tore me apart.

I don't say anything and instead shovel down the rest of my breakfast and stand up, ready to dash out the house and run straight to school out of embarrassment. "Nooo Shirou, where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious? To school! I wanted to get some things done before classes started so I need to leave early." _That was a lie._ I just couldn't stand the mortification of the situation much longer. I head out the doorway and turn down the left side of the hallway to go retrieve my bow from the outside shed, but then I remember how I can get back at her. "Oh yeah, Irisviel. If you keep buying nothing but junk food and nothing healthy nor any fresh ingredients for me to cook with, I'm cutting your allowance short." I didn't turn to look at her or go back in the room when I said it, but I knew my comment scared her, indicated by the baffled noise she let out followed by the whining about how mean I am to her.

While walking down the familiar streets towards school, I realize I left Sakura alone to do all those dishes. _Ah jeez. I hate to do that to her, but she would've insisted on doing them even if I had stuck around. And I couldn't stand Irisviel poking fun at me much longer… I swear, that woman._ It's been about ten years since I started living with her. She was the one who found me and saved me from the burning city all those years ago, from which I am the only survivor. When she adopted me, things were rough at first. Thanks to connections that her late husband, Kiritsugu, had here with the yakuza, we were able to secure a rather nice little mansion thanks to one of their affiliates; a teacher at my school and the head of the archery club who goes by the name Taiga Fujimura. The house and the property are nice, but the upkeep and cost are what were and still are troublesome. As I said, it was rough at first, but life has become so calm and normal now that the horrid fall of my old life, town, friends, and family all seem like a distant bad dream at this point. _Were it not for Irisviel… I don't know how I would've ended up after an experience like that._

Once I enter the front gates of the school, I head straight to the archery range. I return my bow that I "borrowed" to be tweaked over the weekend. Truth be told, we're not supposed to take any of the equipment home and Taiga would probably skin me alive if she found out, but she wouldn't budge when I said I needed to change the bowstring and I wanted to fix it as soon as possible. The problem with it is, the bow's draw weight isn't heavy enough for me at this point, but the school's club can only let it go up to a certain degree as per their regulations. I still wouldn't be able to use that bow in a tournament or anything of that sort because if they found out then I'd be disqualified, but I also can't expect to improve if I don't up the ante during normal practices at least. After I drop the bow off, I walk into the school and head up to the second floor to go to my first class. It only then occurs to me that there's no one around and I suddenly remember how early I left the house to come here. As I stand in the middle of the hallway cursing myself, I hear a voice call out to me.

"Emiya, is that you? I see you're extra diligent today, showing up so early." I turn to see my friend Issei carrying a heater out of the doorway he's exiting.

I sit and tentatively drink my cup of coffee while Issei groans in frustration and bangs his fists against the heater that refuses to work. "Jeez… Emiya are you sure you don't want to try giving it a go?" I place my coffee down on the table and chuckle slightly at the suggestion.

"Come on Issei, really? If you can't do it, there's no way I'll be able to. I'm no good at figuring out how machines like that work and I wouldn't even know which part is different from which." Issei stands up, still whining, and lightly kicks the heater before coming to join me at the table.

"Seriously, you're always no help Emiya… at least you're good at cooking." I laugh again before taking another sip of my coffee.

"It is a shame though, Issei. The Student Body's office is really chilly now that the heater's busted. We should go pick up a new one soon." His whining persists, and he starts letting out crocodile tears while complaining about having no money and how no one would appreciate it even if he did. Once I was done with my coffee, I stand up and reassuringly pat Issei on the back before heading out of the room. As soon as I exit, I'm met in the hallway with the cold mistress of the school, Rin Tohsaka. She doesn't say anything to me, but I notice her glance at me once before walking past me and down the hallway. "I didn't know you got here this early." I call out to her in genuine confusion, remembering all the times she walked into the first class-period late. My words apparently don't reach her as she continues walking, unfazed. _Just as I thought, she must not be big on talking._

School continued normally that day as it usually does until lunchtime, when I remember I bolted out of the house before I could pack a lunch. I start worrying I'll have to buy a school lunch, but then my saving grace, Sakura, shows up with a boxed lunch she packed just for me. "Here, senpai. I saw how quickly you ran off and I assumed you forgot about lunch, so I packed you one before I left, just in case." I felt almost happy enough to cry.

"Sakura… you know you're a blessing, right?" Her face grows flushed at my comment as she pulls up a desk next to mine to join me for lunch.

"What? N-Not really, I just don't want you to go hungry is all…" _Ahh, she's so sweet. Oh, I forgot I usually eat lunch with Issei. Oh well, I'm sure he'll survive one day without me to keep him company and Sakura did pack me the lunch, so eating with her is the least I can do. Besides, Sakura is a good friend of mine too and I want to spend time with her just as much as I do him._

After lunch, classes continued normally, as they always do, until school finally let out. Once school was over, that's when the real fun began; that's when the archery club's scheduled practice starts. I always head into the range the moment the last class is over so that I can change before everyone else. As I walk across the cool, polished wooden floor and towards the changing area, I begin to think of how despicable I am for the reason why I'm so adamant about changing outside of the presence of the other guys. When I drop my school shirt, followed by my undershirt, the reason of why I do so is apparent in the mirror of the locker room.

Long story short, I practice my archery way more than the other club members. For most of them it's just that: a club. But for me, my skills with a bow are of extreme importance. I can't say there's a reason for it and that's because there isn't; it's just that ever since I was a kid, archery has intrigued me. And so, not only do I go way beyond my limits during practice, but I use almost all of my free time at home to practice as well. A direct biproduct of this is the shape my body is in now.

My left shoulder has grown to be noticeably bigger than my right and the bone structure is much more pronounced as well from how it's morphed and changed over the years so that it can firmly hold my bow in place. Meanwhile, my right arm is far more toned and buff than my left from all the times it has pulled back the arrows against the force of the bowstring. The unsightliest things about me though, were the scars on my body. Some on my knuckles and palms from blisters and calluses, the few lashes on my chest and biceps because of the bowstrings popping sometimes from too much stress when I change and tighten them, and the burn mark on my right arm that I received during my part-time job which was accompanied by a fracture in the shoulder. Other than that, my body was considerably more fit than the average high school student due to all the other exercises I do to keep myself in shape. Long distance runs, weight lifting, boxing, kendo; I stay varied in the ways I work out.

Once my practice clothes were on, I head out the room just as Shinji and the others head in. Shinji and I have a unique relationship together; I try to treat him as I would any other decent human being, and he makes it as hard as possible for me to do so. He once tried to convince me to stop coming to archery practice, at least for a while, because of my injury and even after it healed, saying it was unsightly for an archer to have such a scar. I didn't listen to him though, and I kept shooting even with a fractured shoulder and even now with the burn mark.

His words didn't prevent me from practicing, but they did make me feel self-conscious and not want to change with the other guys. The constant showboating, arrogance, and putting down on myself and others I can always deal with, but the one thing I can't stomach is when he mistreats Sakura. The one time I saw a mark on her from his abuse, I caught him at practice after school that day and beat him with his own bow until it snapped. I, of course, got in a lot of trouble and had to pay the expenses for the damaged equipment, but at least after that he hasn't so much as touched her. Either that, or he makes sure she hides the evidence even better now. It didn't take long for the memory of the beatdown to fade from his mind though, and he soon returned to his normal, arrogant self around me.

Once I return to the front of the range, I pull the arrow I hid in my bag throughout school today out and twirl it around in my finger. It's the same one I shot the maple leaf with this morning and it's the same one I always carry with me almost anywhere I go. The arrow has a certain sentimental value to me and I carry it with me as a reminder. The wooden shaft of it, the arrowhead, and even the old feather at the end of it, they all hold important significance to me. I gently return it to my bag and run over to where my bow sits in its spot on the rack. I place my bag down next to it and start my stretching as Taiga and Sakura both walk in from the front.

"Hello senpai. You're early as usual." I smile at Sakura while stretching my right arm across my chest. Taiga pokes Sakura on the shoulder and ushers her towards the women's changing room.

"No, Sakura, you can chat with Emiya all you want later, but for now you have to go get changed before we start practice without you." Sakura blushes from embarrassment and apologizes before running off, shouting out "I'll be right back senpai!" as she does so. I finally finish all my stretches and grab my bow, hoping to get in some shots before practice officially starts. I hear Taiga laughing as I head to the edge of the wooden floor with my bow and quiver.

"Is something funny?" She quickly shakes her head when I look over at her, but doesn't cease her laughter.

"I just think it's interesting how pathetic of a boy you are to have such a beautiful, young kouhai so clearly in love with you, and yet you haven't sealed the deal after all this time!" I become irritated at how giddy she is about it and how she worded her colorful insult. _"Pathetic boy"?_

"My apologies, I wasn't aware being a gentleman is now considered pathetic. This is all assuming she even likes me that way, which she doesn't; she's like a little sister to me and I an older brother to her. You should, at the very least, get your facts straight _before_ poking your nose in someone else's business, Tiger." As soon as the word left my mouth, I felt chills run up my spine and my heart skip a beat. Taiga as well; her laughter stopped immediately when I called her by that name. "M-Miss Fujimura, listen I didn't-"

"AGH! How could you Shirou?! You know how much I hate being called that nickname, and yet you still used it! I don't care if Irisviel lets you call her by her first name, but I won't tolerate even calling me a name similar to mine; especially not that one! 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups! Run laps around the range 10 times! Then once you're done, do it again! No practice for you today!" I look at her with a look of disbelief, wondering for a moment if she was being serious. After seeing her child-like, pouty expression along with her eyes that had begun tearing up, I realized she wasn't. I return my bow to the rack and drop down on the floor to start my punishment.

While I walk a few feet behind Sakura, I fan my face and mumble in discomfort because of my clothes clinging to me from how much sweat I was covered in. "She's 24 years old and she gets upset over a nickname that almost everyone uses… how mature." Sakura notices my grumbling and laughs while slowing down so that she can walk next to me on our way to the train station.

"You pretty much asked for it, senpai. If it were anyone else, she probably would've let it slide, but you know how much it hurts when it comes from you." _Yeah. I know. I know very well her "reason", but that still doesn't make it ok to punish me over something so minor._ Taiga considers me something akin to family, as if I'm a nephew or even a son. It's all due to the friendship she apparently had with my foster father who died before I ever met him. Because I'm his son, she considers me a part of her family. It's odd, considering I barely know her outside of school, other than the archery club and the few times she's joined Irisviel for dinner or just to visit and catch up. _I'd honestly rather if she just treated me like any other student._ I wouldn't have cared when she punished me and scolded me, but since she took away all my practice time today, it really pissed me off. The only thing worse than that was Shinji's snide remarks and jokes he cracked about me while I ran around the range, which he made no effort to be quiet or discreet about.

Sakura and I parted when we reached town so that she could go buy some groceries for dinner tonight while I headed off to my part-time job. I'd like to say it's part-time, but I work there almost every single day of the week now. It used to be different, but after Irisviel stopped working, I put in double effort so that I can support her as well as myself. Ever since Sakura started coming over to help out, it's been easier, but "easier" doesn't mean "easy". I won't complain though; this is exactly how I want things to be. I'll put in any amount of work it takes so that I can be sure Irisviel doesn't have to. I never want her to work another day in her life; whether it's for my sake, someone else's sake, or even for her own sake. I'll take care of her and everything she needs or wants. I smile at and greet my boss when I enter through the door before heading into the back to change into my work clothes. Between school, practice, this job, and the time I spend at night in my little workshop in the shed out back and practicing my bow skills in the yard, I can see why Irisviel made that comment this morning. I really do leave her lonely, with the only time I spend with her being when we eat and occasionally in the few moments I'm not occupied with anything, which is rare. But, it's been that way the whole time I've been living with her; I always seem to be busy, so I can never spend time with her. _Maybe that's why… I can't see her as my mother._

Work proves to be as busy as usual and once my shift is over, I bid my boss and coworkers farewell before heading off to the train station and catching the last one heading home. Sakura will already be preparing dinner at this point and Irisviel is probably whining to her about why I'm not home. After I board the train, I notice the cart is completely empty and I choose a random spot to sit at while still brooding over the fact that I didn't get any time to practice with my newly strung bow today.

I reach into my school bag after a while and pull out the old arrow to admire while the train begins to approach its first stop, the one right before mine. As soon as I rub my thumb across the arrowhead, I hear someone clear their throat in the chair across from mine; a woman's voice. I quickly shove the arrow into my bag and jerk my head up to see who was sitting with me. In the seat across from me sat a little girl, who couldn't have been any older than 12 years, in strange western-style clothes. _When did she… I could've sworn I was alone; there was no one else on here when I boarded._ I notice her white hair and when her eyes slowly open to stare into my own, I feel my breath catch in my throat. _Irisviel?_ The little girl innocently smiles at me until the train rolls to a stop and the doors open while the conductor announces the station we've stopped at. The girl stands up and walks away towards the exit while I sit wide-eyed and with my mouth agape, still smiling contently as though she just won a prize. "W-Wait, who are you?" It couldn't be a coincidence that this young girl had the same other-worldly features as Irisviel and even wore similar clothes. She ignores me calling out to her and swiftly steps out the doors while they shut close. She glances at me one last time and tells me something through the crack of the sliding doors.

"You better summon one soon, big brother. Or else you're going to die." Once the doors close and the train starts to move forward again, I rush to the window so that I can peer out at the station and get another look at her, but she was nowhere to be found. I continue staring at the station until I can no longer make it out because of the distance the train covered from it. _What the hell was that?_

The appearance of the girl and the few words she spoke haunted me all the way until my stop. As I exit the train, I try to figure out who she could've been. _Could it really be a coincidence that she looks just like Irisviel_ and _referred to me as her "big brother"?_ I start to think any number of reasons as to why, and once my mind starts to wander to doubt Irisviel and think she might have a little bastard child running around here, I stop and almost slap myself across my own face. _I can't believe a thought like that would even cross my mind; there's no way. And if she somehow did, she would've mentioned it to me before._ Once I step onto the street that brings me straight to my house after a few blocks, I decide to just sum it all up to me having a mini heat stroke or something and believing I saw Irisviel on a train. _That could be the case… if so, maybe I should start listening to Sakura and Irisviel when they tell me to take it easier._

As soon as I enter the house, the delicious aroma of a home cooked meal reaches me, and I hear Irisviel gasp in an exaggerating way and squeal like a little kid from the dining room. "Yay! Shirou's home!" I sigh while hooking my thumbs into my shoes and removing them before stepping on the wooden floor of the house. When I enter into the dining room, my face instantly becomes sour and my disappointment is clearly visible. Irisviel sat in her usual spot at the table, still wearing her pajamas, indicating to me she didn't change at all today, much less do anything productive. She noticed my expression and let out an "eep!" before crawling around the table and playfully hiding behind the other side. "Ah! Shirou's angry!" Just like always, I can't pretend to be mad at her for long and I let my grumpy face melt into a defeated, smiling one. I as well sit on my usual spot and Irisviel swiftly crawls around the table, still on all fours, and retakes her spot while trying to scoot next to me and cuddle up. "How's my favorite boy? Did you have fun at school today? Who'd you eat lunch with? Your giiiirrrrlllfriend?" I push Irisviel away while she leans in against me, not embarrassed at all by how close our bodies are, unlike myself who's face is as bright as it was before I bolted out of here this morning.

"My day?! I-It was fine, just like it always is! And you know I don't have a girlfriend!" She keeps giggling while pushing into me like a grizzly bear. I hear footsteps approaching from the tiny kitchen and Sakura soon walks up to the table, holding some of the dishes she prepared on her arms.

"Th-That's right, miss Emiya. Shirou doesn't have a girlfriend, he would've told me if he did." I could hear the relief in Sakura's voice for whatever reason, but I didn't pay it any mind as I was too busy trying my hardest to keep Irisviel from wrapping her scarcely clothed body around me. We kept pushing each other back and forth as if we were children fighting with each other while Sakura finished setting the table.

Irisviel and Sakura engaged in a conversation about how delicious the food is while I silently ate and occasionally glanced over at Irisviel. _Still though, they look really alike; her and that child. Maybe I really was just imagining Irisviel considering how identical that little girl looked to her._ I decide to not even mention it while I finish gulping down my bowl of miso soup. I stare at the plate of Mackerel with the steamed vegetables next to the other various dishes and I decide against helping myself to seconds. _Considering I got no practice in at all today, I should excuse myself from the table earlier than normal so that I can shoot some in the yard tonight for longer than normal._ I thank Sakura for the food once more and stand up to go change into something more comfortable, when suddenly Irisviel grabs my pant leg and gently tugs on it, looking up at me with puppy eyes. "Shirou, where are you going? We've only just started eating dinner and I was hoping tonight we could stay up with Sakura and maybe watch some movies; maybe have her stay the night?" Sakura blushed at the suggestion, but didn't refuse it, joining Irisviel in staring up at me patiently. I return Irisviel's gaze for a moment, but soon break it, suddenly feeling ashamed to look at her for some reason. _Jeez, what does she want from me? She knows I always practice when I get home… I've never missed a day._ "Please Shirou? You've been gone all day… I want to spend some time with my son." I made up my mind.

"Sorry, Irisviel, but I've kept this time every evening spent training constant. I'm not going to break my streak." I drag my foot along the floor, pulling my leg away from Irisviel, which she lets her hand slide off of. I knew I hurt her feelings because when I glanced at her while cutting the corner out the doorway and down the hallway towards my room, I saw her begging, puppy-face fade into a saddened one. I regretted hurting her feelings, but this is just something I have to do.

"Shirou, you need to get your priorities straight when it comes to why you shoot your bow. You're without a doubt the best bowman in the club, but you could be so much better if you would just work on your form. With how good you are, you shouldn't be winning _almost_ every match, but instead every single one. It's about precision, not how many arrows you can shoot in succession and how much power you can put behind each shot. It's almost like you're not practicing archery when you shoot, but instead are a soldier trying his hardest to kill someone in a fight." I think about what Taiga said to me that one time while fastening my quivers on inside the shed. _She doesn't know what she's talking about. Once, only once, have I ever missed the target; I knew before the arrow even left the nock on the bow that it'd miss. My accuracy is just fine. It all comes down to would I rather put emphasis on aesthetics or efficiency; and what purpose would all of this serve if it was just to "look pretty"?_ I latch on the final strap around my chest, holding in place the quiver behind my right shoulder on my back. Recently, whenever I've been shooting at home, I use three quivers to do so; two on either side of my waist and one on my back. It's for a technique I've been developing that lets me shoot off more arrows quicker than normally. By having three quivers, any unnecessary movement from consecutively drawing out arrows from the same quiver is eliminated. With each stroke of the hand as it lets go of the nocked arrow, the hand falls back to the next assigned quiver and nocks the next one. The amount of time it saves is so miniscule that it might as well be nonexistent, but it's still something. Not to mention more quivers means more arrows. I look down one last time at my special project before I leave the shed. I decide to just focus on getting some shots in today instead of touching it for now as I walk out and shut the sliding door behind me.

I turn on the giant spotlight on the back porch to illuminate the sole target I have way across the yard at the edge of the little bamboo cluster we have. Before I installed the light, I could only shoot during the afternoon before dark, but now I could go wild all throughout the night until dawn broke. I take a deep breath in and unsheathe an arrow from the first quiver on my right hip. Once it's nocked on the bow, I draw back the bowstring until the arrowhead is almost touching the smooth, wooden riser that its drawn shaft lies on. Then, I release. As soon as the feathered end reaches the riser, I dart my hand to the quiver on my back and wind it into another draw. I release. My hand instantly falls to my left quiver and draws another out. Nock, draw, release. I repeat the same exact sequence one more time and then I finally let my breath I'd been holding in out, before quickly intaking air again, feeling my lungs burning for some fresh oxygen. I look up to see the results of my rapid shooting. The six arrows all made it to the target; three of them were on the inner rings and one hit dead in the bullseye and was then split in two by another one that hit the exact spot. I was ecstatic I managed to accomplish that, but then my eyes fell on the sixth arrow lodged in the outer-most ring, almost missing the target entirely. I groan out in frustration and start making my way to the target to dislodge them while Taiga's words about inaccuracy blared in my mind. _You're not inaccurate! Anyone would have trouble shooting that many arrows so quickly, if they could even pull it off._ I pull out the arrow stuck in the side of the target and stare down at it while thinking how I ever got to the point where I could do something like this. _Six arrows… shot in succession under a bit less than 10 seconds._

This insane skill of mine is something no one knows about other than myself; I've made sure to never pull off the feat at archery practice. If I were to go public with the ability, I would break the world record for most arrows shot in succession under a minute by quite a large margin. If that alone doesn't sound mind blowing enough, I didn't use a normal Japanese style bow, a Yumi, when I pulled that off just now; I used a traditional English longbow. With this bow, the draw weight is significantly higher than a Yumi, this specific one having about 80 pounds. The arrows have more force behind them when shot from this bow, but quick, successive firing is much more difficult to accomplish. If I were to use a Yumi like the one I have at practice, I could probably break the current record I have. Well, that is if its fragile frame didn't snap from the task, which is why I've abstained from attempting it with it yet. _Hard work, dedication, me being unable to spend some time having fun with Sakura and Irisviel, the resolve to keep firing away with my bow even with a severely burned arm and fractured shoulder… that's what led me to develop this ability over the past ten years._ But in the grand scheme of things, Taiga will always be right. These bow skills I've developed will never be useful. The efficiency in shooting arrows, how much punch an arrow can pack when you shoot it, neither of those help much when I compete with the club; never will I ever need to fight with a bow, either. And yet, every day I practice this way. I wonder why I insist on deforming my body and turning myself into some kind of bowmen fit for battle in spite of this. I walk back to my normal shooting spot with the arrows I retrieved clutched tightly in my hand when I notice the kitchen light shut off. _Sakura's probably left by now… and I assume Irisviel decided she wasn't going to wait up for me. She's been lonely all this time, and tonight all she wanted was to watch some movies and spend some time with me… her son._

After shooting for about an hour longer, I find myself growing sleepy and my body getting chilled from the night air surrounding my sweat-covered skin. I return all my equipment to the shed and lock it up before running to the back porch to switch the, now hot, spotlight off. I feel around the hallway to make my way to the dining room and as soon as my first foot steps in, I gently pat around the wall with my hand until I find the light switch, flipping it on. _I didn't know what I was expecting._ Surely enough, the two women were gone, and all traces of the dinner Sakura prepared were as well. The tv, of course, is silent with no indications of it having even been turned on. I was disappointed, but I didn't have the right to be; I made my choice when Irisviel asked if we could watch movies.

I shut the light off and tread down the hallway again to go to my room, but stop when I end up in front of Irisviel's bedroom door. _I walked to Irisviel's without realizing? Jeez… I guess I subconsciously know I need to apologize for not making time for her…_ I hesitate for a moment, then knock lightly against the paper door. After she doesn't answer, I crack open the sliding door slightly and whisper in to call out her name. Still no answer. "…I'm coming in." I make sure she knows so, before I walk in with her not being decent. I use the glow from my cellphone to illuminate the room instead of switching on the light, just in case she's asleep while I gently tiptoe in. It doesn't take me long to find her. She's kneeling on the floor with her face buried into her crossed arms that lie on top of her small table. "Irisviel?" She doesn't respond, and I assume she fell asleep while sitting there like that. I kneel next to her and gently comb my fingers through her long, silky hair which prompts her to adjust her head and turn it to the side, revealing her sleeping face to me. Her face was beautiful, as always, but I realized that her eyes seemed especially worn out and tired and were slightly red as if she'd been rubbing them. _Has she been… crying?_ I notice her arms aren't just on top of the table, but are also on top of a few rectangular cases stacked beneath them. I gently lift her arms up with one hand while sliding out what's beneath with the other. I look down at what I'm holding and curse myself while feeling my heart break. _A western, an old horror flick… a girly romantic drama? She wasn't exaggerating… when she said she planned for us to watch movies together tonight._ I felt like crying myself, but I quickly shook my head and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt. _It won't be any good to regret what I did now; I'll make sure Irisviel knows how sorry I am when she awakens tomorrow._

I place the movies back down on the table and gently lift Irisviel up in my arms, bridal style, while taking note that she's still wearing her nightgown that she wore all day. _Jeez. I know you were upset, but you should still change clothes every now and then. At least put on a different nightgown._ While slowly walking her over to her huge, western-style bed with the giant veil that hangs from the canopy, she starts becoming restless in my arms and she eventually slightly opens her eyes to stare up at me while I carry her. I instantly become embarrassed due to how I'm holding her, but she just warmly smiles up at me. "Shirou… you're so… sweet, but you can be a real… a real meanie sometimes." _She's still half asleep._

"I know Irisviel. Don't worry, starting tomorrow you will be the focus of all my free time, not dumb old archery." She very half-heartedly giggles at what I say while I lay her down and tuck her into her bed. "Good… I'll never say no to more attention. Now, come here." After she says this I look at her and see her eyes are closed and I can hear her lightly snoring. _Telling me to come here and then immediately dozing off? That's so like you._ I do as she says though, just to honor her wishes and I lean in until my face is next to her ear so that she can hear me whisper. "Goodnight, Irisviel…" Right as I'm about to pull away, she swiftly turns her face to mine and gently smooches me right on the tip of my nose.

"To you too, my sweet, charming little Shirou."


	3. Chapter 3

"I-Irisviel?!" I jump back and away from her bed, my face lighting up like a match and the tip of my nose still warm from where her lips were just a moment ago. "You were awake!" I grit my teeth in anger and feel my face grow even more flush as I recall the embarrassing things I said and did thinking she was asleep.

"I mean, what'd you expect Shirou? Anyone would wake up if they were lifted into your big, strong arms so boldly to be taken to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what! Ahnn, actually, what _were_ you planning to do to your poor, defenseless mother on her own bed in the seclusion of your house away from the prying eyes and ears of the outside world so late at night had she not woken up? Hmmm?" I wanted to scream from all of the inappropriate and absurd things she was spouting out.

"J-Just what are you implying?! I didn't want you to catch a cold sleeping on the floor! Why can't you just accept a pure, innocent act of kindness without thinking up all those weird thoughts?! I'll just leave you on the floor to freeze next time!" I walk away as soon as I'm done, hoping to make her think the shouting and me stomping off would camouflage my embarrassment with anger.

"Shirou, wait!" I debate whether to turn around or not, but I went against my better judgement and turned to look at her; thinking maybe something's wrong or maybe she would apologize. Wrong. She turned the lamp next to her bed on and had scooted over in bed, pulling the corner of her covers down to unveil the spot next to her. "Why don't you come sleep with mommy tonight? If I'm going to be the main focus of _all_ your free time from now on, you can start by reestablishing the skinship we lost from back when you were an obedient little boy-" I walked out of the room and slammed the sliding door shut while she talked. She prompted my humiliation even further with her suggestion, but I'm relieved at the same time to know she's alright and happy, indicated by her still mercilessly teasing me. I turn the illumination of my phone back to the hallway to find my way to my own room while I hear Irisviel whining and calling out my name.

After I finished getting ready and lied down on my futon, I start thinking about Irisviel and Sakura and how I wish Sakura would've stayed the night. How I regret not watching movies with the two. Even sleeping in the bed with Irisviel; for some reason, I really wanted to take her up on that offer. Not for any impure reasons, not for any ulterior moments, not really even because I wanted to spend time with my "mother" again; no, it's simply because I have a bad feeling, one I've been having ever since about a week ago when my nightmares returned. Whenever I wake up in the morning, whenever I leave the house, enter school, shoot my bow, and eventually lay down for bed again, the bad feeling in my gut is there. It's like the feeling of dread when you wait till the last minute to do a school assignment and are running out of time. _I just want to stay close to Irisviel… to keep her safe…_ That's the last thing I thought before drifting off soundly to sleep.

When I wake up to my phone's alarm ringing, I look around my room groggily while wondering where I was, realizing I'd fallen asleep in my actual bedroom, not the shed, for once. I sit up straight and push the heavy blanket of the futon off of me while stretching out my arms and letting out a loud yawn. After standing up from the bed and walking to the door of my room, I realize I didn't have the nightmare last night. _Huh. Maybe this is a sign of good things to come…_

Breakfast would be meager again today, sadly, and would consist partially of leftovers from last night's dinner. After getting dressed and ready for school, I checked the fridge again only to see little change, other than the amount of junk food being slightly less and the leftovers from last night being within. _I appreciate Sakura getting the stuff to make dinner, but she didn't really get anything other than that; not that it's her job. I had told Irsiviel to get some groceries yesterday._ I stop worrying about it after remembering how big of a party-pooper I was last night and how I resolved to be a better son to Irisviel. I keep whisking the eggs and I eventually hear the front door slide open, indicating to me that Sakura had finally arrived.

We talked for a while about how we slept, and I mentioned I was sorry about being such a scrooge last night as I finished making breakfast and she set the table. Once everything was set, I went back to the kitchen to get some cups for the tea and I let my mind start to worry as Irisviel still hadn't joined us. I at first chalked it up to her just sleeping in, but she must've heard us talking after all this time. I place the cups down and glance out the doorway of the dining room and down the hallway while half-listening to whatever Sakura is saying. "Uh, sorry Sakura, I'll be right back, I'm just going to go check on Irisviel." I walk into the hallway and towards Irisviel's room without waiting for Sakura to respond. _Calm down Shirou, she's probably just still asleep; she_ was _up late last night crying because of you._ That's true, but I can't recall a time Irisviel was ever late to breakfast in the morning.

I make it to her door and stop, thinking I should knock before entering in case she wasn't decent. I raise my hand to knock, but as soon as I hear rough, scrubbing sounds in the room followed by sounds of Irisviel whimpering and sniffling, I open my hand and grab the side of the sliding door before slinging it open. "Irisviel?! What's wrong?" She's kneeling next to her small table with a washcloth in her left hand, scrubbing at the back of her right hand.

"Sh-Shirou? N-Nothing's wrong, I just *sniff* I just was cleaning my hands." _Cleaning her hands?_ I walk over and sit next to her on the floor while holding my hand out, gesturing for her to hand me hers. She looks down at my hand with her slightly puffy, teary eyes for a moment before begrudgingly placing her own in it. I reach up with my other hand and remove her left one that still held the washcloth on top of her right before feeling my worriedness quickly melt and evaporate only to be replaced by rage. On top of her right hand is a speckled red marking that looked as though it's a freshly made bruise.

"Irisviel, where'd you get this?! Who did this to you? Was it that bastard from before?!" Irisviel looks into my enraged eyes with her own worried pair and rapidly shakes her head before pulling her hand away to rub her damp eyes with.

"Again with that, Shirou? No, no, it wasn't him; I haven't seen nor heard from him since then. This is just… I just smashed my hand in the drawer of my dresser this morning when I was pulling my clothes out. It really hurt, so I guess it brought tears to my eyes, but I'm ok now, I promise." I look over her face and glance back down at her red hand, wondering whether she was telling the truth or not. She just smiles back at me, still covering her hand with the washcloth. I lean in and pull her into a hug, holding her tightly, unsure of how else I can handle the situation.

"Alright Irisviel… breakfast is ready, by the way…" It sounded as though she was crying even more while her face was buried into my chest, but she stopped to answer me.

"It's ok Shirou, I think I want to lay down and get a bit more rest; I was up pretty late last night, remember? Just save mine and wrap it up in the fridge…" I eventually stop hugging her and stand back up to my feet to return to the dining room, walking past Sakura, who apparently came to see what the commotion was about, on my way. The front of my shirt on top of my chest clung to me because of the large wet spot Irisviel's tears made.

I stare up at the top of the apartment buildings while standing at the very last cross-section in the road before school. The sun sat just on the horizon, above the apartment roofs, and was veiled by clouds just enough so that it was safe to look at. The beautiful sight helped ease my worried psyche as I stood at the cross walk, alone. I told Sakura to go ahead when we reached this point so that I could clear my head. _Was it really just her being clumsy? Did she really… do that herself?_ I would assume in any other family, with any other normal son, they'd take their mother's words at face value and leave it at that, but I have a reason to be skeptical. A few years ago, Irisviel had marks very similar to those on her body. At the time, she told me she was weak physically and that she bruises extremely easily, that it's no big deal she got bruises like that across her arms, legs, sometimes her face, while she was working at her part time job. Those were all lies.

She had been looking for a job for the longest time once we moved here, and there were nights even where we had no meal for dinner, so it seemed a miracle when she suddenly found a job as a nanny to a local businessman's children. At first it was just that, a nanny, but soon, unbeknownst to me, the man started making her come over even when he was home with his children and that's when she started returning home with the bruises. I was a kid then, but I wasn't an idiot; and when it came to Irisviel, I was especially cautious. So, about a week into her starting to return home with those bruises, she suddenly had to go work on the weekend. This was the point I was certain something was up, so I got the man's address from the slip he gave her when she first started working that had it and ran ahead of her and snuck into the man's house to hide and wait so when she arrived, I could see what happens. I'd hidden in the hollow of their grandfather clock in the living room after a lot of sneaking around, my child body then barely being able to fit, and when Irisviel finally arrived, she was met by the man at the doorway and was demanded to follow him upstairs. After they went up, I followed, and once they went into a room, I went up to the doorway and peaked through the keyhole to see what happens. Then he ordered Irisviel to strip.

She resisted at first, but he just kept saying "Strip now, or go home and never come back." Eventually, she did just that. Then, she started crying. It took everything I had to not break down the door and rush in to smash the face in of that bastard, but I made myself wait to see how things progressed; to see if she let him go any further than that. He demanded for her to get on the bed while he stood up and began to unbuckle his belt. Irisviel screamed "no" at him and reached down to grab her scrub shirt and pants she had just removed, assumedly to quickly put on and run out of the place in. The fat bastard had other plans though. "Do you know who I am?!" he said. "You've been denying me all this time even though I could give you and that brat child anything you could ever want!" he exclaimed. Then, when he saw she was ignoring him and quickly covering her undergarment-clad body with her clothes, he grunted in frustration and stepped forward to her. "I tried making it worth your while, but if you won't accept my generosity, I'll take you here and now and give you nothing in return. I can do it, you know? Rape you. And I'd get off scot free; I have connections."

With that, he grabbed her arms and ripped them from her body, taking the clothes off with them. She screamed, loudly. He grunted in anger again and then said, "you bitch" before slapping her across the face and kneeing her in the stomach, causing her to groan out in pain and fall back onto the large, king-sized bed. After that, I don't really know what happened exactly. All I saw was red. Apparently, I beat the wooden door down, somehow forgetting how to use a handle, then jumped the man and beat and stomped and pummeled his body into the floor of his own bedroom while screaming obscenities like "you son of a bitch", "mother fucker", "piece of shit", etc. at him. I was a child, yes, but I was a child who'd been spending six years shooting a bow and working his body raw to its limits, every single day. Irisviel eventually got me off and calmed me down after I'd beaten the man into a bloody mess, within an inch of his own life. We left and Irisviel feared the repercussions of what would happen because of what I did.

Those repercussions never came. The "connections" that bastard talked about were apparently with the Yakuza, and when he went and whined to them about what happened and told them our names, he apparently had much, much worse things done to him than the pummeling I gave him. Up until then, I never really liked being "in good" with someone who was basically a member of a criminal syndicate, Miss Fujimura, but after that, I'd been thankful for both her and them ever since. Irisviel had chastised me thoroughly and was living in essentially terror after the ordeal, but once Taiga came and told her we had absolutely nothing to worry about, Irisviel, on that night, hugged me and cried against my shoulder all night long while constantly thanking and apologizing to me. I, of course, had no idea how to deal with it, but I handled it the only way I thought I could. _She had gone through a week of sexual harassment, beatings for refusing his advances every time, and almost being raped just so that she could keep a roof over my head and food in my stomach; on top of saving my life back then, what else could I do than try to somewhat repay her the way I did?_

And so, when morning came, and she had finally stopped sobbing, I lifted her face up to my own and told her this: "Irisviel, the day you have a reason to thank me or apologize to me for anything is the day pigs fly. I've done nothing worthy of either of those claims. As for work, you never have to lift your fingers to labor away again. I'll take care of it. I'll take care of everything. I can get more than enough money for food, the bills, any clothes you could ever want, and trips to go wherever in the world you want. So please… just let me do that!" After I said all that, it was my turn to cry into her shoulder that day; I wanted nothing more than for her to step down and let me take care of her so that she'd be safe. And so it was, once we were both done filling each other's shirts with tears, I started wearing the pants in the family and I added a job on top of my schooling and training.

I snap back into reality when a car speeds past me and nearly blows my scarf off of my shoulders. _Jeez. What am I doing digging up horrible memories like that now? Regardless, after that whole experience, I should trust Irisviel when she says that she accidentally caused that bad red mark on her hand… She would tell me otherwise._ I let the problem plague me no longer and try my hardest to cheer up while walking across the street to finally get to school before the first class starts.

Classes roll by normally as they always do, but I do take note of how I didn't see Rin throughout the first half of the day. I sit down with Issei in the Student Body office for lunch while wondering what she's up to today. "Something bothering you, Emiya?" I frown at him while he digs around in my lunch with his chopsticks.

"Not particularly, though, it's not like you'd care regardless; you're too busy picking out what you want from _my_ lunch, I see." Issei groans in a whiny manner while picking out a few pieces of what he wants, ignoring my annoyed observance about it.

"Come on Shirou, you always let me have some. You make the best lunches ever, no contest. I'd give you my entire lunch for just a bit of yours!" _He exclaims all of this so ecstatically, but realistically, he'd hesitantly share any of his at all…_

"Whatever… and no, nothing is bothering me really, I was just wondering where Rin is today is all." Issei audibly chokes on whatever he's eating and quickly grabs his cup of tea before chugging it down to clear his throat.

"*cough* Y-You what?! Why do you care where that she-devil is?!" I look at him in annoyance at his casual use of the harsh nickname.

"I don't care, Issei. It was just an observation I made. As late as she is to school, she hardly ever misses any." Issei wipes the corner of his mouth with his napkin and takes another sip of his tea, seemingly not buying my explanation.

"Emiya, you've heard my grievances about her a thousand times, but still, I highly advise you to not associate with her. As for where she is, I have no clue at all. She's probably out somewhere kicking puppies and drinking bottled baby tears." He laughs a bit at his own twisted little joke and I continue looking at him in disappointment.

"Issei… you should really shape up considering the line of work you're going into at Ryuudou temple…"

After lunch, I attend my afternoon classes and then school finally lets out. I walk out and onto the front of the school yard before turning to my right and looking behind my shoulder at the archery range. _You said it yourself Shirou…_ Yes, from now on it's about her, not archery. For the first time, I'm going to skip practice. For the first time, I'm not going to shoot my bow today.

When I arrive home, I get the hell scared out of me by the astonished "WHA-" from the dining room and then the rapid footsteps and sudden tackle of Irisviel into me as she makes the both of us crash down on the floor. She grins happily as though she's a child who was just handed a mountain of candy while she nuzzles up into me and lets out an occasional, quiet "yay" or "it's Shirou". Even though she's pressing all of her weight down on top of me and my head is uncomfortably bent and pressed against the front door while my back is to the cold, hardwood floor, I can't help but laugh and return the hug.

"I'm home, Irisviel…" As soon as I say this, she quickly sits up from me with a worried look.

"Wait, today's… you have archery practice! Did you forget? It's still early so you can-"

"No, Irisviel, did you forget what I said?" She tilts her head and looks down at me in confusion and I feel my face heat up from embarrassment when I realize I'm going to have to say it again. "Jeez… I-I said it's… you first from now on, not archery." She laughs and smiles at me warmly which oddly contradicts her mischievous eyes.

"I know, Shirou, I just wanted you to say it again. I just can't believe you remembered that promise… much less that you were serious." I'm slightly agitated she made me say it again, but seeing how happy it makes her, I decide to let it slide. It was then I realize the position we were in; me laying down on the floor with Irisviel sitting right on top of my crotch as though she was straddling me. I then realize she finally changed her clothes; she changed from the nightgown she wore all day yesterday to one of my long-sleeved t-shirts. Just the t-shirt. All she has on other than that baggy t-shirt, that's far too big for her, is her undergarments, indicated to me by the strap of her bra on her left shoulder, which is out in the open because of the shoulder of the t-shirt drooping down onto the arm, and her panties which are in clear view from her sitting position.

"Irisviel! Wh-What are you wearing?" She looks down at my t-shirt with a face of honest, innocent confusion.

"You told me I needed to hurry and change out of my pajamas?" Hearing her answer made me realize two things. One: there's no hope for her when it comes to changing clothes. Two: nothing I say, literally nothing, will steer this conversation to an answer for why she chose to wear my shirt or to convincing her to take it off.

After a bunch of arguing and struggling, I removed Irisviel from on top of me and made my way to my bedroom to change into something more comfortable. Once I changed, I made my way to Irisviel's room and as soon as I enter, I see her nightgown sprawled across her table, on top of her little stack of movies. I sigh disappointedly at her sloppiness and brush the nightgown off and next to the stack of movies so that I can grab them and take them into the dining room with me.

Once I enter the dining room, I see Irisviel sprawled out on the floor, watching the tv as it plays… children's cartoons. I almost take a step in before looking lower on Irisviel's body and seeing the hem of the back of my t-shirt she's wearing is stuck in the waistline of her black, lacy panties, revealing her panty-clad rear end to the whole world. I retrace my steps back into her bedroom after realizing how dangerous that is and I grab her blanket from her bed to take back with me. In one swift motion, I jump into the room and toss the blanket on top of her body. She sits up straight, now looking like a ghost from being covered with the blanket while letting out an "EEP!" "Sh-Shirou!? Are you there? Why'd you throw a blanket on me?" I quickly think of a reason while setting the movies down on top of the television.

"I uh… wanted to watch those movies you had now. If we don't start now, we're going to be up all night watching them. And I thought it'd be more fun if we used the blanket to cover ourselves with instead of the heater…" She doesn't answer for a moment while I walk over and into the small kitchen to find the popcorn. Then she yanks the cover off of her to reveal her big grin once more.

"Yep! That's a great idea!"

It doesn't take me long to figure out why she thought my "idea" was such a good one. As soon as I shut the blinds, turned off the lights, and started the first movie, the western, she began scooting closer and closer to me under the blankets. I responded each time by scooting away and she would respond by pouting and then scooting closer. Eventually, we scooted away to where we were almost to the other side of the room away from our seats next to the table and we couldn't see the tv. I groan in frustration and scooch back over with her to where we're both once again sitting with our backs against the table and facing the tv. Not wanting to go through that again, this time when she scoots to sit right next to me beneath the covers, I don't fight it. She whispers out "yay" and takes this as a sign that it's ok before wrapping both her arms around my right one and leaning her head onto my shoulder. _Does she know this is how couples sit together? Jeez…_

Once the first movie ends, I thank the heavens for it. The movie was so bad that it's laughable. Which is exactly what Irisviel and I did the whole time; laugh. In that respect, I guess it was pretty enjoyable. I stand up to put the next movie in and check my cellphone while I do so. I notice it's almost the time when Sakura would prepare dinner, but I assumed we wouldn't be having that tonight considering how full we were getting off popcorn. I then realize Sakura still isn't here yet. As soon as I think this, my phone lights up in my hand, saying I'm getting a call from Sakura. I answer it and lift it up to my ear. "Hello? Sakura? Where are you at?" She doesn't answer for a moment.

"I… I'm not going to be joining you and Miss Emiya for dinner tonight senpai, I'm sorry." I hear the sadness in her voice and instantly think something's wrong.

"Sakura, what's wrong? Is everything ok? Shinji didn't touch you again did he?"

"N-No, senpai! I just can't come over tonight, I have to spend time with my real family too… I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, I promise." Before I can even say anything, I hear the click and beeping of her having hung up. I snap my phone shut and sigh, feeling as though something really did happen.

"Shirou? Is everything ok?" I look down at Irisviel who looks just as worried, if not more so, than me.

"I don't know… I could go over there, but she already told me to stay out of it." I wanted to help her, I really did, but it's hard to help someone who doesn't ask for it. The results of it will be random and usually much more different than you'd expect. And I honestly doubt Shinji would even look at her the wrong way after how badly I slapped him up that last time.

The horror movie was marginally better than the western. The best part about it was that it was actually good in the aspect of its genre; it was pretty scary. The worst part about it was that every time something even slightly scary would happen, Irisviel would cling closer and tighter to me until eventually at the end of the movie, she was almost in my lap with her face buried into my side beneath my arm, no longer even watching the movie, while whimpering and jumping at any loud noise that came from the tv. I pry her off of me after a bit of struggling and realize it's getting dark outside while I take the next movie out of its case. "Hey… Shirou…" I look over at Irisviel calling out to me in a much more serious tone than usual to see her staring at the tv that's paused on the movie's credits.

"Yes? What's wrong?" She answers me without breaking her stare from the tv.

"Tomorrow night I was thinking… we go on a little road trip. I actually did a little packing today for your suitcase and I'll finish both it and mine tomorrow." _What? A road trip?_

"Why would we do that? I'm not saying I'm against it, but it seems pretty random and on such short notice. Where would we even go to?" She shakes her head slightly while still refraining from looking at me and instead vying for the tv.

"I don't know yet. I was thinking we'd just drive and go through some different popular towns. Anyways, we'll be ready to go as soon as you get home from school tomorrow. I'll explain all the details to Sakura tomorrow morning for you." _She's already talking like it's decided; end of discussion. I feel like something is wrong for her to suddenly want to do this. It sounds like this "road trip" is just us skipping town. I'll just do as she says though… I don't want to stir up anything I don't have to. But…_

"Can I at least know how long we're going to be gone?"

"It depends. It probably won't take too long, so I'd say about a week or so."

After the weird discussion, we started the third and last movie, the romance. It was short-lived though, as Irisviel fell asleep only about 20 minutes into the movie. I gently push her off of my side and stand up to put away all the movies and popcorn while chuckling at how badly she wanted to watch all these movies and yet she fell asleep during them right after nighttime hit. Once everything was put up, I lift Irisviel up to bring her to her bed, being extra careful not to wake her this time, and tuck her in once she's in. Soon I find myself back in the dining room, wondering what to do. I look down at my phone and see it's only just before 8:00 and I realize how much time I have. I soon unknowingly find myself walking through the hallways and to the backdoors of the house that lead out into our backyard.

Once I'm inside my shed, I laugh at my fleeting resolve while gently plucking at the tight string of my longbow. _"First day without shooting a bow" huh? I guess that was conditional because I was doing it solely to have time for Irisviel and then she up and went to sleep on me, but still, I can't believe I don't have more self-restraint than this._ I lift the heavy bow up and take one step out of the shed, not bringing my three quivers with me; only my bow and my one lucky arrow. I stare out into the dark yard that's not even slightly illuminated from the moon or stars, as they're covered with dark clouds tonight. _Just one. One shot. Just a shot. Just this one shot._ I continue looking at the direction of the dark yard the target is located somewhere in and I lift up my bow and nock my single, lucky arrow. I look out into the total darkness and realize it won't make a difference, so I close my eyes too. I pull back the string and then, I fire. I keep my eyes closed until I hear the flying arrow collide into whatever it hit and sheathe itself inside of it. I lower the bow and walk back into the shed. _Now we wait until tomorrow morning, and see if the superstition is still true…_

After returning the longbow to its rack, I walk over to the cloth blanket with my project lied out across it. I decide I'll work on it after giving it no attention at all in the past week. This special project, the one I've been working on for the past month now, is what came of events that transpired in these past four years. Not too long after the fiasco with that businessman who employed Irisviel, I took my archery even more seriously since I had less time thanks to my job. During that time, I learned from a friend of Taiga's who came to teach a short lesson to the archery club how to make my own simple bow if I was ever stranded in the wild. That simple lesson he taught to the class is where it started. It took me little time to master making the simple bow he showed us, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to learn how to make my own, quality bow fit for taking down the biggest and strongest of game. After begging Taiga, she got me in touch with the man who taught us that lesson and he agreed to be my teacher. It took a long time, but I learned to make my own longbow. In fact, the longbow I've been shooting with at home is one I made myself. It could've ended there, but I wanted him to take it a step further and teach me how to make what I consider the most visually appealing bow, the recurve. Both he and Taiga were extremely against it, as it took many professionals a long time to make recurve bows that are perfectly balanced and able to shoot correctly. Even the man who taught me how to construct the survival bow and the longbow, a man who'd been a woodworker for over 40 years, still messed up recurve bows every now and then. It took time, lots and lots of time, but after nagging him and Taiga long enough, he finally agreed to teach me. That was his biggest mistake.

The man assumed I would give up after a while; after seeing how complicated and intricate the process is. Sure, it's not hard to put the pieces of a recurve bow together, but it's beyond hard to make those pieces themselves. Even more so if one's making them by hand out of wood. Yes, he thought I would give up quickly, but he underestimated my determination. Every weekend for that entire year, I would go to his woodworking shop, buy the wooden materials I needed from him, then spend almost the entire day practicing. After a while, my dedication became apparent, and he too devoted himself to my goal of learning to craft my own bow. Over the course of a year, through his guidance and my perseverance, I added mastery over crafting a recurve to my arsenal of bows. He offered me a job as his apprentice, but I refused, as I'd already begun steadily working for another associate of Taiga's. Where it felt like my thirst had finally been sated, it was truly only just beginning. I could make the bows, but soon I wanted to not just make _a_ bow, but _the_ bow. I wanted to make the best bow to ever be crafted; my bow. It was then I became a national criminal.

I didn't just want the best woods for my bow, I wanted woods that had meaning behind them. So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone; I'd take Irisviel on vacation with the money I saved from my job, just like I promised, and I'd gather the wood to make the perfect bow. It was also during these travels I became an infamous criminal. The first place I took Irisviel to was Nottinghamshire, about two years ago. For the first three days and nights, it was just that; a vacation. On the fourth night, however, the night before the morning we'd leave, I snuck out and made my way to the public landmark that is famous in the legend of Robin Hood, the bowmen thief. It was the place where he and his band would sleep every night: The Major Oak. I sawed through one of the large branches and carved the center heartwood out of the giant limb that fell to the ground. I took it back to the hotel we were staying at, packaged it, and mailed it to our home under a different name with no return address. We left on our plane long before authorities realized it wasn't nature that caused the branch to snap and fall, but instead a person who desecrated the tree.

It was a while before I had enough money saved up again to take Irisviel on "vacation" again; it was actually only about three months ago when we went. This time, it would be Perthshire in Scotland that I'd take her to. It was far more beautiful than Nottinghamshire and Irisviel loved it much more as well. It felt like an actual vacation and we even visited some of the renowned places across the land, such as the Birnam Wood and Dunsinae Hill that were made famous by the inclusion in Shakespeare's tragedy play Macbeth. It felt like an actual vacation, that is, until I had to do my dirty work. It was a bit harder to sneak into this public landmark and get what I needed, but I managed. The landmark in question is one of the oldest trees around and is considered by many the oldest in Britain and is most renowned for apparently being the tree that Pontius Pilate, the one who was forced to reluctantly send Christ to his crucifixion, grew up playing under every day; The Fortingall Yew. It was much harder to excavate some firm hardwood from the tree like I did with the Major Oak since it was much older, but I eventually found some long, solid sections of heartwood in the oddly-shaped, split tree. I felt far guiltier when harvesting from this tree than I did the Major Oak, because while I just cut the wood from a thick branch on the oak, I needed longer pieces from the yew and its branches were too thin and scraggly, so I had to harvest it from the trunk. That, paired with the fact the tree was already very old and was already very lacking on firm wood in its structural support, means whatever lifespan the tree had before my interference has probably been cut severely. I followed the same pattern I did with the oak wood and I packaged it and mailed it home; different name, no return address.

A few weeks later after we returned home, and I had a pile of raw, wooden materials ready to be made into a bow. To Irisviel it looked like I just had even more wood to add to my already abundant supply in the shed, but to me it was as though I now had gold and diamonds in my possession. It was around this time people connected the desecration of this tree to the Major Oak and the "Timber Pillager" became a popular term used to identify the thief. Even though there wasn't really any evidence to connect the two incidents, the idea became so popular in such a short time that it stuck and a bunch of absurd myths about him being some mystical being even began circulating. It was really odd to me to think about how my crimes which I felt so much guilt and regret over were being romanticized by others.

I reflect on the bizarre sequence of events that led to my possession of the sections of wood that lay out before me now. I return my focus to the pieces and frown in discontent, remembering why I put off fooling with it for the past week. The thing I feared when I first carved out the wood; it looks like it's just too old to be made into a proper bow. Even if I were to properly treat the wood and reinforce the back of the limbs with sturdier wood, it's performance wouldn't be peak, and it wouldn't last very long before it snapped or deteriorated too much to be drawn properly. I didn't want to accept it when I first dug it out because it would mean that I damaged those historical trees for no reason, and I don't want to accept it now while I'm trying to work with the wood and make the pieces, but I feel the more I work, the sooner I'll have to face the music and accept I did something horrible and have no justification for doing so in the end. Even so, I grab my sheet of sand paper and start to wipe down and rub into shape the limbs I'm attempting to make for the bow from the sections of yew wood. _If only I was a better craftsman… a weapon smith…_ I lay on my side and carefully rub the long piece of wood while I grow weary and my pace at which I brush the sheet across it slows down. _Or maybe if there was just an easier way to… reinforce the… wood._


	4. Chapter 4

_Before my old life was burned to cinders, I'm sure I had a family. I'm sure I had friends. No, I knew I had both, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember them. Not the face of my mother, not whether I was a happy child or not, and not if I was a popular or respectful boy. It is all a haze. But, what I do remember is all of that being taken away._

 _There's skyscrapers rising up to the dark sky above me. In my memory, they reach up into the black gouts of smoke, giving the impression that they fly up and pierce into the sky, continuing on forever. So, seeing the flaming bodies rocket out of the smoke surrounding them and crashing to the flaming streets, in an attempt to escape the flaming buildings, made their attempt at escaping seem all the more horrifying and futile. Other than those standing colossal buildings, everything else was collapsed and in ruins. The only things that existed in that city anymore were the flames, the few buildings whose structures remained standing, the giant hole in the sky that poured down the black water and crimson flames… and myself._

 _However, the one thing I take solace in from this horrible event, is that I knew what happened next. Yes, after I collapse in the burning city, ready to die, a beautiful woman finds me and saves my life. I open my eyes and see her… "_ _ **To save one life means to not save another.**_ _" Those familiar words she muttered when she hugged me… they resonate within me._

 _Yes, that is the usual happy ending to this dream, but something's different this time. This isn't the comforting ending to the horrible nightmare that I always see. No, if that was the case, then there would be rain descending upon us, the city wouldn't still be on fire, and she, Irisviel, would be crying with a warm smile. But no. The flames burn bright, brighter than ever, the only thing falling from the sky is darkness and more chaos, and the woman holding me is glaring at me with a look of hatred while screaming. She does cry, though; tears of blood, that is._

 _The horrifying image begins to narrow and the only thing I can make out anymore is the wrathful Irisviel who is now squeezing me in her inhumanly strong limbs while we become surrounded by a halo of fire._

" _ **Die**_ _." The first time she says it, I don't process it; for the voice Irisviel spoke in was not her own, but instead a deep, wretched voice._

" _ **Die**_ _!" The second time, I had to come to terms with the fact it was her wishing my death upon me. Her face contorts in a way no humans should as her jaw seems to unhinge, and her mouth gapes open far wider than possible._

" **DIEEEEEEEE!** _" She reaches her hands up to me and clutches them around my throat tightly while the flames enclose and engulf both our bodies. Her face, her figure, her being; they melt on top of me while she screams a hellish cry and I return by screaming in equal effort, out of terror._

My eyes snap open and I jolt up from where I'm laying on the hard floor, feeling my heart pounding against the inside of my chest. My voice dies down when I see that I've woken up, and I realize I was screaming when I did. Despite it being slightly chilly in the shed, I can feel my body slick with sweat as though the flames of the dream were actually affecting me. I look down at my right hand and see the sheet of sandpaper clutched tightly in my fingers. I let it go and watch it flutter to the floor, unveiling the skin of my right hand's palm as an angry shade of red, indicating how irritated it is. _I must've been holding it really tightly while I slept. It's chafed up, but it's not bleeding…_

I stand up and try my best to forget about the horrific nightmare while I walk over to the tool rack next to the shed door. _Out of all the times I've had it, never has it been so dark and horrifying…_ I look back at the wooden pieces and random tools on top of the floormat and sigh in disappointment. "I guess last night was a night of letdowns and failures…"

Once I put everything back where it belonged in the shed, I walk out and only just realize how early it is. The sky is a pale blue shade and the light is still dim, indicating dawn was just over the horizon. I breathe in the fresh, cool morning air and lean forward to get ready to bolt straight to the house, but then I remember I'm forgetting something. I straighten up and slowly turn my gaze from the back door of the house and to my left, to the side of the yard my practice target rests in. As soon as my line of sight hits the target, I feel the thoughts about the nightmare dissipate and a smile grace my face. "And so, he does it again…"

After walking across the yard and to the target, I trace my finger lightly along the wooden shaft of the arrow that lies lodged, almost perfectly, in the center of the bullseye. I wrap my fingers around the arrow and swiftly pull it out so that I could inspect it more closely. After looking over the arrow, I scratch my head and sigh. _Yep, by all rights, this looks like a completely normal arrow. Nothing fancy about it, nothing cutting-edge, nothing mystical or magical. So then, why am I able to do something like this?_

This old, wooden arrow is very special to me. I refer to it as my "lucky arrow". But, there's a reason for it to have such a name. Ever since this arrow came into my possession, every time I've fired it, every time I've shot it, it has hit my target. I don't know whether it's coincidence or luck or just an extreme case of conditional skill, but I've never missed a shot with this arrow. At first, I never noticed that the specific arrow was so accurate, but one day my injured arm spasmed when I released the string to fire. Up until that point, I'd only ever missed one shot, and just as it was the case with that one, I knew this shot was going to miss the moment my fingers let go of the bowstring. But then, not only did it _not_ miss, but it hit the target right in the bullseye.

That experience is what gave light to me about how special the arrow is. In that moment, I reflected on it and realized that every time I've used it, it's always been a bullseye. So, after that surreal moment, I started testing whether the arrow was something strange or if I was just imagining things. From that point on, I started picking out targets and shooting the arrow at them to see what would happen; I started shooting at varying distances of which I'd never attempt normally. The bullseye, the innermost ring on the target, the outermost ring, the flower pot on our back porch, the icicles that hang from the edge of the roof in the winter, yen coins I use as tiny targets, falling leaves from trees; anything I deem my target, I'm able to hit. Even last night when I had no light at all and knew nothing other than the general direction the target was in, my arrow landed exactly where I wanted it to; I knew where it was. With it, I'm confident I can do something not humanly possible; hitting whatever I want just by willing it. Though, I'm sure if I did something unreasonable like wanting to hit the target and then shooting it in the complete opposite direction it would miss, but I'd never try anything that-

"Shirou!" I drop the arrow from my hand and jump slightly at suddenly being called out. I look over my shoulder at the back porch and see Irisviel standing there with a blanket wrapped around her, waving at me.

"Yeah Irisviel?" I shout back at her before snatching up my arrow that I dropped and beginning to walk over to where she stood.

"Why are you out here so early in the morning? You didn't stay up shooting all night again, did you?" I frown at her while stepping up to stand next to her on the porch.

"No, I wasn't up shooting my bow all night. I was actually working on making another bow. I was only pulling out an arrow I left in the target just now." Irisviel looks at me inquisitively while I move past her and into the house through the sliding door. Not long after I enter and start walking down the hallway, I hear the sliding door close and footsteps following not far behind me. "So, what are you doing up this early, Irisviel? You normally only get up when it's time for breakfast."

"I had a really bad dream; it was super scary. I woke up all panicky and crying. I ran all around the house frantically to try and find you, so you could hug me and make it all better, but you were nowhere to be found. I should've known to check your stupid shed first!" I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was being pouty, but then I remembered the horrible dream that I myself had. I almost ask her what her nightmare was about, but I decide against it, not wanting to reflect on dreams or nightmares or anything of that sort for a while.

"I'm sorry Irisviel, but it's fine now. It was just a dream after all." Irisviel doesn't respond for a moment and just joins me in walking down the hallway in silence. Once I reach the door to the bathroom though, she finally speaks up again behind me.

"Yeah… you're right Shirou. Just a dream." I thought she sounded sorrowful in her response, but I didn't pay it much mind as I entered the bathroom and walked over to the tub so that I could get it ready for a bath. Once the tub fills up to about halfway, I reach down and pull my shirt up and over my head before reaching down to unfasten the buckle of my belt. Had I not turned to look and see if we had towels on the towel rack next to the bathroom door, I wouldn't have noticed Irisviel who was silently observing me strip down, showing no embarrassment at all.

"Irisviel!?"

"Shirou."

"No! What are you still doing here? Can't you see I'm about to take a bath!? I thought I closed the door behind me?" Irisviel blinks at me in confusion and then glances back at the door before returning her gaze to me.

"Oh yeah, you did. I just opened it again and followed you inside." I look at her in shock and then hold my face in my hands in a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment. _Does she try to be this oblivious or does it just come naturally?_

"Ok. Why did you do that?" She looks at me in confusion and then walks past me and to the toilet, of which she sits down on after lowering the seat.

"Well because we were still talking of course. It is a bit sudden, but if you want to have a bath together again after all these years while we have out little chat, that's fine by me."

"I don't want to take a bath with you! We _were_ done talking! Get out of here!" Irisviel ignores my embarrassed shouting and instead stares at my abdomen and my arms. Feeling her gaze pressing into me, I grab the shirt I dropped onto the floor and cover myself up like a squeamish girl who realized she was being peeped at. "W-What is it?"

"I was just shocked by your body. I haven't seen you shirtless, or without any clothes for that matter, in a few years now. You sure have changed since then. More muscular… and even more scars than back then." I thought she was going to start being weird and poking fun at me about me being half-naked in front of her, but I could tell from her expression and tone of voice that she was concerned. I instinctively pulled my shirt back over my head and on, feeling shameful about my body and how grotesque it probably looks to her. "Shirou?"

"Yes, Irisviel?"

"Why do you push yourself so hard? I know you're passionate about archery and all… but it's not normal for a teenager to look as though his hands have been worked to the bone and his upper torso lashed at, burned, and broken. If anyone saw you shirtless, they'd think you were enslaved or put to work at a labor camp." I almost blurt out what I'm thinking about what she said, about how I don't care and that she's pissing me off, but then I remember that she's just worried about me. I look away from her and down into the half-filled tub, of which I stopped the water from running out of the faucet and into whenever Irisviel sat next to me for our talk. "Shirou… do you like archery?" My eyes widen at her question and this time I can't help but turn back to her and shout out my response.

"What kind of a question is that?! Of course I like archery! I wouldn't spend so much time on something I didn't like. I wouldn't let it control my life and sap away time that could be spent with you or Sakura if I didn't feel compelled to do it." Irisviel sighed and stood up from her seat, grabbing the edges of the blanket she wears around her shoulder so that she can wrap it around her more snugly. I notice that her right hand she slammed in the dresser yesterday now has a bandage wrapped around it. Irisviel smiles at me and steps forward and to my left so that she can maneuver to the bathroom door. Before she walks past me though, I feel her lean close to me and hear her start to whisper.

"There's a difference between liking something and feeling as though you have to do it."

The bath was considerably less enjoyable than normal, and I found myself soaking in the hot water much longer than usual. _Irisviel sure has been weird lately. Hurting her hand, saying we're going on a road trip starting tonight, bugging me about archery even though I've practically given it up for her already, and wanting to watch movies and be super clingy… no, she always does that. But still…_ I reach up and to my left to grab my shampoo bottle that rests on the ledge of the bathtub while contemplating. The water of the tub has cooled off quite a lot, almost to the point where it's room temperature, so I finish washing myself before it loses all its heat.

I rinse out my hair and pull the stopper from the drainer before standing to my feet. I don't leave the tub immediately though; and I don't brush the wet, matted bangs clinging to my forehead and covering my eyes away. I instead lean forward and raise my right fist up and to the plaster wall of the bathroom and slowly inch it forward until I feel it press against the hard, cool surface. _Irisviel… what you said may have had some truth to it._ My scarred and callused knuckles stay pressed against the wall, unmoving, while I feel the water lower and pool around my feet before flowing forward and down the drainage pipe. _But… I do love archery. I do._

When I walk into the dining room while putting on my brown school overcoat, I'm surprised to see Irisviel isn't there and Sakura is in the tiny kitchen preparing breakfast. I look next to her on the counter and see a brown grocery bag. "Sakura?" She jumps a tad and turns to face me with a light blush across her face. A pink apron is wrapped around her and she has a cookbook open and in her left hand.

"Yes senpai? Is something wrong?" I walk to the counter and lean onto it on my elbows while frowning at her.

"Yes, something is wrong. Did you go and buy groceries for us _again_? I've told you already that that's Irisviel's job. I feel bad knowing you're always buying them for us." Sakura closes her cookbook and gently sets it down next to the array of foods she was preparing for breakfast before turning to face me.

"No, senpai, it's fine. It's the least I can do for you since you always let me come over and spend time with you and Miss Emiya. Besides, I need to make it up to you somehow for not being able to come over last night, right?" I suddenly remember the call I had with Sakura last night and how she insisted she couldn't come over. I instinctively look her over from across the counter and she blushes and fidgets under my gaze. From what I could tell, she looked completely fine. I do, however, notice that she is grabbing the hem of her long right sleeve in her hand and hiding it behind her back. I ignore it for now and nod at her before turning away from the counter and stepping towards the small dining table.

"If you say so Sakura. Just please try not to make a habit out of buying our food for us all the time. You wouldn't want us to become dependent on you, would you?" I kneel down at the table and wait for Sakura to respond to my joking question. After she doesn't, I turn and look at her from the floor of the dining room to see her diligently working away at preparing our morning meal. _Maybe she didn't hear me ask?_ I continue to stare her down while she cooks. As always, she seems diligent and eager to make something for me and Irisviel, but something this morning catches my attention. Both of the sleeves of her long school shirt are still down and to her wrists. _Not rolling your sleeves up while you cook? Interesting…_

It doesn't take Sakura too long to finish cooking, and with her doing so, Irisviel magically appears at the dining table, ready to eat. She's still wearing my t-shirt and I feel like screaming in embarrassment when _I_ notice that _Sakura_ noticed. She didn't comment, but when she entered into the dining room with the rice cooker and saw Irisviel joined me at the table, wearing that, she gasped and fumbled the rice cooker in her hand, almost dropping it. As she went back and forth from the kitchen to bring back the items to set the table with, she occasionally glanced at Irisviel with an embarrassed look and I did my absolute best to avoid looking at either of them in the eyes.

I waited for Sakura to finally sit down and after we thanked her for the food, I continued to carefully watch her while she ate. Normally her sleeves were a tad loose around her wrists, just like every girl who wears the school uniform, but today it seems like she did something to make the cuffs enclose around her wrists, skin-tight. At this point, I knew something was up. I thought about how I could make an excuse to see her arm and when I let my gaze move from her and down to her plate and then to the soy sauce that sat in front of it, I knew how I could. "Sakura, could you pass the soy sauce?" Sakura looks down at the bottle and smiles at me while setting her chopsticks down.

"Of course, senpai. I'm sorry I didn't think to offer you some sooner." She reaches over her plate and grabs the sauce. Just as I was hoping, she did so with her right hand, assumingly since I'm sitting across the table from her to her right. After she lifts it up and guides her hand across the table to bring it to me, I ready my jittery hands under the table for what I'm about to do. Once her arm's in my reach, I jump up and grab the soy sauce with my left hand, quickly place it down on the table, and firmly hold her by her right forearm.

"Hold still, Sakura!" She yelps in shock and instantly tries to pull her arm back, but I don't let her.

"S-Senpai, stop it!" I feel bad for holding her against her will and making her beg me to stop, but I have to see if what I think is true is true. Problem is, she won't sit still long enough for me to check her arm.

"Sakura, stop squirming. I just need to take a bit of your clothes off." As soon as I said it, I blushed and cursed myself for wording it in such a pervy way. Sakura noticed the innuendo as well, indicated by her face burning quite a few shades redder than my own.

"You- you what?!" She jerks her arm back even harder, and this time I fall forward and onto her, barely missing the table arranged with food as I fall. We both collapse onto the ground and I now find myself in an even worse position than what I started in. My face is only a few inches above hers and the distance between each of our bodies is even shorter. I can't see it, but I can feel my left leg is lying in between both of hers, keeping them separated from each other, unable to close. I stare into her eyes and feel my heart to begin pounding faster than I thought possible in my chest. Her defiant, hesitant, and embarrassed face from earlier melts into a submissive and almost passionate look. _Wait… what was I trying to do again?_ "Senpai… it's ok…" _It's ok?! What's "it"?_ I look up and over the table to see Irisviel casually eating and staring at us like a cat watching a laser pointer dart across a wall. I look back down at Sakura, who's now breathing heavily, before flipping over her right wrist.

"Pardon me, then." I see that it was a safety pin keeping the cuff wrapped snugly around her wrist and I swiftly pull it out and drop it onto the table before quickly rolling her sleeve up her arm, making sure to do it as fast as I could to hurry and get out of the intimate position I was stuck in. It didn't take long for my suspicions to be proven. A nasty, purple bruise rested on Sakura's forearm, starting at the elbow and reaching almost halfway up the arm. "I knew it…" I sit up and jump to my feet before walking back to my side of the table and retaking my seat. Sakura also jolts straight up and glances down at her arm before quickly snapping her gaze back to me with her embarrassed expression still ever-so present.

"Wh- Eh? Was that all you were trying to do?" _What? What did you think I was going to do?!_

"Yes, that's all. You were acting awfully protective of your arm, and after what happened on the phone last night, I was very suspicious. To think, you lied to me." The embarrassing position we were in just now quickly faded from my mind, and my thoughts were instead occupied by anger and hurt from Sakura refraining to tell me Shinji touched her again. Sakura saw that I was genuinely upset while I angrily forked down the stir-fried vegetables from my plate and avoided looking at her.

"Senpai… I'm sorry, I…" I look up from the table to see Irisiviel looking between the two of us inquisitively, clearly lost on what's going on.

"Shirou, what's wrong with her?" I finish my last bite and set my chopsticks down to grab my glass of water while I answer her.

"Shinji went and hurt Sakura again. Go look for yourself; she has a bruise both the size and color of an eggplant all down her forearm. And who knows where else." Irisviel jumped up immediately after I informed her of what's up and rushed around the table and to Sakura's side. While I drank a sip of my water, I glanced over to see Sakura looking away from Irisviel and down at the floor in shame while Irisviel tentatively looked at Sakura's bruise and touched it softly.

"I-I'm sorry Shirou, Miss Emiya. I should've told you. B-But, it's really not that bad. Shinji just gets really mad sometimes and this time it was because of me so it makes it even more so my fault." I could feel my cool slowly fading away the more she talked, and my temper continue to rise. _"Your fault"?!_ My attention snaps back to them once I hear sobbing. I at first think it's Sakura's, but when I look and see that it's Irisviel, who now has Sakura pulled into her chest, being held tightly, who's crying, I feel my blood really start to boil. "M-Miss Emiya, why are you… you don't have to cry; like I said, I instigated this. Please, if you cry, I'm going to end up crying too."

"I- *sniff* I can't help it! How can you *sob* ask me to not cry when I see my own daughter hurt by what should be her family! This isn't right! Nothing like that should ever happen to you!" I could see Irisviel's words deeply affected Sakura, based on how her face went into full shock, losing any trace of being reserved or embarrassed.

"Your… d-daughter?" After muttering the words herself, tears flowed freely from Sakura's eyes and trailed down her cheeks one after the other before she rose her arms up and returned Irisviel's embrace with equal force. They both sobbed and whined while holding each other tightly in each other's arms. Irisviel was hugging her just how any good mother would hold their own child when comforting them. _So that's how it is, huh?_

I finished my glass of water and stood up from the table, once again thanking Sakura for the food. Once I walked out of the dining room and into the hallway, I heard Irisviel call out to me. "Shirou! Where are you going?" I look back at them one more time and see them both staring at me with their teary expressions. I could see it; see it well. Both of their faces said, "don't go". I grab my bag after slipping on my shoes and, without looking at them again, I tell them where I'm going.

"To school."

Was it wrong of me to just up and leave them like that? Yes. Should I have stayed there with them? Maybe have comforted them and told them encouraging words? Yes. Should I not have unveiled Sakura's bruise like that and have gotten them both so riled up? Maybe.

This is how Sakura's life has always been; living with Shinji. Maybe she wasn't always hit, maybe she wasn't always mistreated, maybe she wasn't always unhappy; but that doesn't change the fact that she still lives with a man, with a "brother", who at some point caused all those things and more for her. I ask myself these questions and reflect on that hard, cold truth while I stare at my destination I left the house to arrive at. Only, this wasn't the school.

I grab the old, iron bars of the front gate and lift myself and jump over it and into the front yard of the Matou residence. I don't know what it is, but something about the place sends a chill up my spine and makes all my hair stand on end. But I don't care. I'm going to finally do what I should've done a long time ago. I walk up to the big, wooden door and waste no time in banging my fist against it to make them open up. It doesn't take very long for someone to respond to me pounding on the door, but the one who answers isn't Shinji. I'm met by a short, old man who looks far more aged than any person I've ever seen before. He doesn't open the door all the way and instead stays within, his figure being shadowed by the dark interior of the house. Even though it's dim, I can see the beady eyes and wide smile of the old man.

"Well, now what do we have here? I never would've guessed Shinji had any friends? Shall I go get him for you? Or maybe you're a gentleman caller for my little Sakura? If that's the case, I'm sorry to say she's not here at the moment." His voice is a perfect match for his look. It is old and wicked, just like him. _This must be Sakura's grandfather…_

"No, you're wrong on both accounts, old man. I'm actually-"

"I know who you are, boy." My response is cut short by him interrupting me, suddenly sounding very impatient. "What I want to know is, why do you find yourself here instead of at your house, spending time with Sakura, or at school?" I turn my attention away from him and look into the dark house behind him, trying to see how it looks inside.

"Shinji. I need to talk to Shinji. We have business we need to attend to." I hear the old man chuckle and look down to see him clicking his walking cane up and down on the tiles of the inside flooring.

"Talking, huh? Are you sure that's all you're here for?" I feel my patience waning and I groan before leaning down, so I can speak to him on an eye-level.

"Since you're so curious, no. I'm here to give him some of his own medicine." My answer makes the old man laugh again and he swings the door open, barely giving me enough time to move out the way.

"Shinji! Get down here boy! That Shirou kid is here for you!" The old man walks out of the doorway and joins me outside. Almost as soon as he joins me, I hear footsteps approaching and Shinji finally reveals himself. He stops in the same spot the old man stood in earlier and gives me his usual shit-eating grin.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise. Why in the world are you here, Emiya?" I glare at him and reach up to start taking my brown coat off.

"Come out here and I'll show you, Shinji." Shinji is taken aback by me suddenly removing my coat and challenging him to step outside, but it doesn't take long for his composure to apparently return and his smile to grace his face once more.

"Oh no need for that, it's much too early to trek outside. Why don't you enter the house and I can prepare us some-"

"No, Shinji." Shinji is suddenly interrupted by the old man, surprisingly. "Not this time. Now, our guest has requested you to come outside. Do it." Shinji loses his air of confidence and timidly steps outside upon being instructed to do so. He looks at the old man with anger and then turns his hateful look to me.

"W-What do you want Emiya?" I crack my knuckles in each hand and roll my neck once, letting off an even louder snapping noise from the joints cracking. Shinji takes a step back and I can see him starting to tremble.

"I know what you did to Sakura. You know the drill, get ready. I'm about to beat your ass." Shinji looks at me in utter shock, and what I could only describe as terror, but then forces out a laugh and tries to feign a smile.

"You're joking? No sane person would come to someone's house and try to fight them… In front of an elder?" I take a step forward to reestablish the original distance before Shinji stepped back.

"I guess that makes me insane then. Now, get ready. We're fighting. I'll give you seven seconds to throw the first hit, but after that, I'm going to start pummeling you senseless, whether you fight back or not." I could tell I was getting to him; he's practically shaking in his shoes. He looks over at the old man who only smiles back at his scared face.

"You heard him Shinji. He's being awfully generous giving you the first punch and all. I won't try to get you out of this one; I can tell this is a bout between men." Shinji looks back at me and I just stand neutrally, not stanced up, inviting him to hit me. He nervously forms his right hand into a fist and cocks it back but hesitates. Both he and I knew that time was running out though, so in the last few seconds, he made his move.

"HYAA!" He shouts out while extending his fist at me. I don't make any attempt at all to block or move, and I let his punch hit me right in my nose. The only force I exert is to hold my head steady and make sure I don't budge an inch from his hit. I want him to know how futile trying to fight me is. It takes him a moment, but he soon sees that despite the bit of blood dripping from my nose, I am unfazed by his attack. He desperately tries to figure out what to do, and finally decides to try and hit me again by cocking his arm back to punch me once more. I don't give him a second chance, however.

As soon as he pulls his fist from my snout, I immediately turn my upper torso to the left and strike him in his own nose. With my elbow.

"AGHH AYEGHH!" Shinji instantly starts screaming out and falls down onto his back. I could tell when I hit him that I broke his nose. He reaches his hands up to cover his face, but before he can, I kick them away and press them down above his head with my foot. I kneel down on my other leg and swing once across his face. The punch stuns him and stops his screaming for a moment. After that brief pause, he shakes his head and snaps back into reality to see me pinning him down, getting ready to beat him like a rug. "H- elp. H-HELP M-"

"Ah ah, not so fast." I could hear the old man pipe up just as Shinji starts to call out, to whom I don't know, for help. "None of that now Shinji. As I said, this is between you two. If it's a fight, then keep the fight between you and him. And if it's an ass-kicking… heh, well keep it to yourself." I took the old man's words as an ok to keep going, so I immediately swung my other arm down and across Shinji's other cheek, which I'd yet to get to so far. I could feel him pulling his hands down with all his might from beneath my shoe, but he was far too weak to pull them away. All he could do was squirm his entire body beneath me and try to move his head around to avoid the next punch, which usually only made the strike hit him even harder.

"Agh! AH, please, Emiya I'm-" I punch him from below and up into his chin, midsentence, shutting him up and making him bite his own tongue all at once. My fist had a few specks and streaks of blood on it from how bad I was banging him up, but I wasn't quite done yet. "Wait, pl-pleathse! It's oveh I won't toucth Sakura eveh AGAIN!" I glare at him and let my fist unravel so I could grab him by his throat. I stand up and lift him up with that one hand before slamming him against the doorframe and pinning him there.

"You said the same thing last time Shinji and look where we are! I've already given up on making you realize that Sakura isn't your toy, but I want you to know…" I release my hand from his throat and let him get back onto his feet in the doorway. "If you do it again, I'll do something worse than kick your ass. I'll get domestic affairs on this place and make sure you won't be able to even look in her direction within 500 feet. And as for making Irisviel cry…" Shinji apparently sees me letting him down as a chance to escape and turns in the doorway to try and run into the house. "If you do _that_ again, I'll just straight up kill you!" Before Shinji even takes his first step to run away, I raise my left foot back and behind me, and roundhouse kick him to the right, sending him into whatever shadowy corner lies in that part of the house. I don't bother to look in after him to see where he ended up, but indicated by the sound of wood breaking, I assume I got the point across pretty well.

I turn around and grab my bag and my coat up from the ground before leaving, when I hear the old man snickering from his spot on the sidelines. _I'd completely forgotten he was there._ "Ah s-sir, I'm so sorry about all of this. I know it's improper and I think I just broke something so, I uh… If need be, I can pay for whatever damages I caused." The old man walks up to me while still laughing and stops when he's only about two feet away.

"No need for all of that boy; Shinji had it coming. The kid's a bit too big for his own britches." I didn't know how to respond to that, but seeing how I'd gotten off the hook, I should probably leave quickly. I quickly apologize once more and try to turn and walk off before he could respond, but I feel a hand grab the fabric of my shirt. As soon as the little, decrepit man tugged on my shirt, the chill I got when I entered earlier returned full force, and a feeling of dread welled up inside of me. "One more thing, boy."

"Yes?"

"About Sakura… Have you ever considered courting her, or 'dating'? You seem to care for her an awful lot and you went to such lengths as uh, taking 'counter measures' to make Shinji leave her alone. Basically, what I'm asking you is are you interested in her. I mean, she does go over to your house an awful lot." His question takes me aback, but I feel relieved to reaffirm he's not angry. However… _Do I like Sakura?_

"No. I've never considered that, and I never will."

"O-Oh. My, you sure shut down that possibility quickly. Is she unappealing to you?" I turn to look over and down my shoulder at the little man asking me the strange questions with his hand latched on to my shirt. I tell him plain-and-simply my reason.

"She's my little sister." He looks shocked by my answer and for once isn't laughing or smiling.

"And you're sure that's the extent of your relationship with her? Of your feelings for her?" I don't respond for a moment and instead stare him down firmly. I sternly nod my head and maintain a serious expression so that he might finally get the point. "I see then…" He finally removes his hand from my shirt and walks away and back towards his house. On his way, I can hear him mutter "it looks as though we'll just have to wait." Once he makes it to the doorway, he turns one last time to me and I get the pleasant surprise of seeing his scary, little smile is back to normal. "Congrats boy, you get to keep your little sister. Even if only a while longer." With that, he reentered his house and slammed the wooden door shut.


	5. Chapter 5

I yawn while rising up from the table in the Student Body's room. Without even realizing, I'd dozed off immediately after finishing my lunch. I turn to look at my right and see Issei sipping on a cup of tea and reading through our math textbook. "Issei, how long was I out for?"

"Well, we've been in here 20 minutes, it took you three minutes to eat your lunch… I'd say about 17 minutes." He answered me all while keeping his gaze glued to the textbook he was studying. "What's wrong, Emiya? You're a lot of things, but you've never been one to slack off. Are you not getting enough sleep?"

"No Issei, come on. You know I _never_ get enough sleep. No, it's just that this morning was very tiresome. A lot of stuff happened." He closes his book and slides it to the side, finally looking up at me while taking a long sip from his tea.

"Is that right?"

As soon as lunch break was over, Issei and I said our farewells and went to my next class. It indeed was a rough morning. Even after the cry fest at home and the beatdown at Shinji's, the school day has just been seemingly bad. There's nothing necessarily wrong, but it's just the feel in the air; the tension. Or perhaps I'm just on edge and scared of what Shinji or Sakura will say when I see them, or what consequences might still come about for what I did to Shinji.

The last class felt like it dragged on forever, but when the bell finally rang to let us out, I practically jumped from my seat and ran out into the hallway. _I'm worried, I'm worried. I haven't seen Shinji or Sakura all day. He might've went up to the house. I swear, if he made a scene in front of Irisviel, I'll rip him a new one._ As soon as I make it to the corner connecting to the next hallway, I almost turn and crash into a group of girls. After backpedaling and looking at their faces closely, I realize who they are. "Hey, aren't you girls Shinji's posse? What do you want?" They receded a bit after noticing I didn't intend to be friendly and didn't want to talk, but then the one in the middle stepped up to me.

"Um, we were just wondering… You're Shinji's friend, right? Well, do you know where he is? He hasn't been to school all day and we had plans for afterwards." I shook my head at her and quickly sidestep and begin walking around the little group. Right when I finished passing them up, I hear her softly call out again. "Wait! He… also had to clean the range… today… Ms. Taiga told him to."

"He what?" I recall how I incapacitated him back at his house and mentally face palm myself. _Even if he deserved it, it's pretty much my fault that he isn't here today. So, it's my fault he won't be cleaning the range._ "Ugh, don't worry about it, I'll clean the range for the idiot. Next time you girls see him, tell him he owes me." After I finish talking, I walk off and hurry to the archery range without waiting for them to reply.

 _I want to get home- no, I need to get home, but I have to take responsibility for my actions. I'll just wipe up the place as quickly as possible and then rush back home._ Once I open up the main door to the archery range, I quickly remove my overcoat and throw my bag onto the floor. I make sure to do one last thing before I get started cleaning up though; I send a text to Irisviel letting her know that I had to stay after to clean and we might have to leave a little late for our road trip. With that, I shut off my phone and crack my knuckles in preparation to begin cleaning.

I drop the dirty rag into the bucket of cleaning supplies and contently nod my head at the job I did. The floor of the place is so clean that it practically shines, and you can easily see your reflection in it. _Well, that actually didn't take long at all. What time is it anyway?_ I glance up at the window in the range to see… it's dark outside. "WHAT?!" I rush out the front doors and surely enough, it's pitch black outside. "Ugh, dammit! I hate my perfectionist nature!" I grab my coat and sling it on before snatching up my bag and shutting the door. I was about to hit the ground running immediately after, but before my foot even touched the ground, I stopped myself. Not just my movement, but my breathing, and even my heartbeat felt like it went dead silent. Then, I heard the clashing of steel against steel, and it felt like the ground beneath my feet was quivering at what was happening nearby. _Wait, what_ is _happening nearby?_ I slowly turn to the sports field to see a giant cloud of dust is being kicked up. Against my better nature, I slowly inch towards the area.

Once I arrive, I feel my hair stand on end at what I see. The giant swirl of dust and the gale of wind coming from the area is being caused by two… men. At least, I think that's what it is; I mostly just see flashes of blue and red. Eventually, the rapid movements cease, and standing in the distance before me is surely two men; one in what looked like a long, red trench coat, holding two swords, and the other in blue tights holding a bright red spear. _Who… no, what are they? Some kind of mutant superhumans?_ While most of my instincts were telling me to slowly inch away and not get involved, a part of me was amazed at what I was seeing and compelling me to step closer.

While caught up in my own thoughts, I see the man with the spear tense up and start shouting at the one in red. _Jeez, I can't hear them… what could they be talking about?_ Suddenly, the man in blue's stance changes and his red spear begins to glow violently. Now, not just most, but everything inside my body was screaming GO. I feel the danger and killing intent emanating from the spear and feel as though if it hits the red guy, he will die. I decide I really should scram before it's too late, but the moment my first step falls to touch the ground behind me, I feel a brief resistance under my shoe and then the sharp crack of a twig snapping. _Oh no._

"Who's there?!" The man in blue screamed out loud enough for me to actually hear and not even a second later, he snapped his head to look precisely where I stood. Without hesitating, I turned on my heel and broke into a sprint at 100%. _He's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me!_ I glance back one last time to see him jump straight up into the sky and vanish and the man in red just stand there and look at me. Further behind him I can see someone else wearing red, but I quickly rip my attention away from that and focus on escaping as far as I can from the open field.

I figured the best option to get away from the man would be to run, but he's probably way faster than me, so I instead opt for hiding in the school. Now that I'm in the school and realize all the classrooms are locked down though, I'm running around the halls like a chicken with its head cut off. After running a while, the hallways all start to look exactly the same and my lungs begin to burn for oxygen, so I pick a spot to finally sit down and take a breather. No sooner after I kneel to the floor, I hear a whispy noise behind me. Immediately followed by something lightly tapping my shoulder. I jerk my head behind my shoulder to look, but nothing's there.

"Boo." As soon as my head was turned, I heard him say it only inches away from my front. Before I could even turn my gaze back to him, I felt pain flood throughout my entire body, flowing from the center of my chest that had just been quickly pierced through by something.

"Agh! Uhh." I painfully twist my head back to look at the man in blue who carelessly had his spear tip lodged into my chest, and beneath it, my heart. I try to reach up to pull the spear out, but he does the favor for me, ripping it out in one swift motion, followed shortly behind by a gout of my blood.

"Sorry kid, but my master's a ruthless bastard. You were just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." _His master? I was unlucky?_

"W… What?" At first the pain was unbearable, but now I feel no pain at all. My body feels oddly numb and comfortable; I'm slowly losing the feeling throughout it. My knees that I've been knelt down on are shaking wildly as though they're made of gelatin and I could tell any minute now they'd fail, and I'd fall, never to get up again. I look up at the man in blue, who doesn't say anything, but just looks at me as though I'm a pitiful mess. Then he turns around and begins to walk away while slowly fading to dust. _Is this where I die? I'm going to die? AGAIN? No, no, I can't die! I can't waist the life Irisviel saved! The life that Irisviel… Irisviel…_ "IRISVIEL!"

"What!?" The blue man stops fading away and looks at me in bewilderment from my sudden outburst. I rise up to my weak feet, my vision turning dark in the corners, and my brain turning to radio static, losing its ability to process anything from the loss of oxygen getting delivered. _Get him;_ it's the last thing I want to do. I weakly take one step forward, and with all my strength, clasp my two hands together and swing them into the spearman's face. He doesn't try to block it, and when it hits him, his head doesn't so much as move an inch, but his expression becomes extremely flabbergasted. "How are you-" Before he could finish his sentence, I follow through on my completely ineffective punch by limply draping my arms across his shoulders, moving to his right, and finally letting all my muscles stop, putting my entire deadweight on his right side while leaning forward. "What the hell are you doing kid?!" He doesn't stop himself from falling the direction I'm leaning onto him, whether it be out of pity for my dying wish or if he's still caught up in his own astonishment that I'm trying to fight back.

"Eye… for an… eye." His eyes widen, but by the time he realizes what I'm doing, it's too late. He turns just in time to see one of the glass pane's in the school's hall only inches away from his face. At the very last second, I feel his muscles tense up beneath me, but he's already crashing through the glass at this point. Then, I feel his weight fall away from me and descend to the school yard beneath. My eyes are closed now, but I can tell I didn't fall with him, indicated by the feeling of the jagged edges of glass from the window pane sticking up into my gut. _Not… it'd matter… I… die anyways._ Right before my thoughts cease, I hear laughter and muster the will to open my eyes. The last thing I see before everything shuts down is the blue man standing on top the shaft of his spear, which he stabbed into the side of the school building, only a few feet beneath me.

"…I can at least stay with you until you die…" _What? Am I hearing things? I died, right?_ "Oh no… Why'd it have to be you!? What were you doing here?" _I was… I… I picked archery over Irisviel, again._ "Once she finds out… oh no." _She? Oh yeah, when Irisviel sees I'm dead… I don't want to think about what would happen then._ "It's a shame to see it go, but this one should have enough magical energy stored to be able to do it." _… Magic?_

My eyes softly flutter open. I sit in a daze for a moment, wherever I am, not sure what blurry picture I'm looking at. I lift my hands up and roughly rub the tired out of my eyes, and when I open them again, I see I'm at school in the middle of the night. I'm sitting on the floor with my back against the door to a classroom. _School?_ Suddenly, the events of what transpired only a little while ago rush back into my head. I look up to see that the window is busted with glass everywhere. I glance down at my shirt to see a bloody slit on the fabric above my chest and a few punctures near the base of the shirt, right above my belt. After checking my chest and abdomen, I affirm that I have no open, bloody wounds. _It wasn't a dream… but then how…_ I look to my right, and on the floor, next to a few pieces of the shattered glass, is a pendant with what looks like a huge ruby. I wobble up to my feet, snatching the ruby up as I go, before making my way down the hallway so I can hurry back home.

Everything was a haze on my way back. Somewhere along the way I realized that I dropped my bag back in the sports field. _I wonder what Irisviel said. I hope nothing bad happened._ I'm not quite sure why, but after what just happened, I feel like there's a very important reason for this "road trip" that Irisviel failed to mention. That being the case, my walk turns to a jog and, eventually, a sprint to get back home as quickly as possible. Despite my aching chest and abs, I run to the best of my ability down the dark streets.

When I'm finally safely inside the house, I'm gasping for air, completely out of breath, and my sides ache to the point I feel like crying. I shut the front door while wondering why I'm so exhausted. _I don't know how I survived, but whatever saved me must've not went into full effect yet. Normally, a run like that would be nothing, but I feel like I just ran kilometer after kilometer nonstop._ I suppose I shouldn't complain, considering this is the second time I've practically been brought back to life. I eventually break my worried thoughts when I realize that Irisviel didn't rush to greet me at the door like she usually does.

I begin walking down the hallway to go check her room, but I stop mid-step when I see her passed out in the dining room, her head resting on the table and the tv playing on low volume. _I guess Sakura went home…_ I tiptoe in and walk around the table to look down at Irisviel. In her hand is her cellphone with the screen still shining brightly. I gently reach down and slide it out of her hand, taking extra care to ensure I don't wake her up, before looking at what she had open when she passed out. _It's… our text messages._ At 4:15, just a bit after I sent that text to her: "WHAT! :O Shirou! I told you we were leaving right after you got out of school. Can't you get someone else to do it?" At 4:30: "Shirou? … Alright! Fine! I'll allow it, but if you get home any later than 5:00 I'm gonna be really, really mad at you!" At 5:00: "SHIROU! WHY AREN'T YOU HOME YET? :(" 6:00: "Shirou… Oh God, please just respond! I'll even stop being mad if you just tell me you're alright…"

After that, there's no more messages. And I didn't get home until an hour or so later… _She sat here waiting for me all this time; staring at her phone and hoping I'd respond._ "Irisviel… I'm sorry." Even though it wasn't my fault at all that I was so late getting back here, it was my fault for making her worry and not bothering to check for her texts at any point while I was cleaning. _I should wake her up. Regardless of how mad she'll be at me, she'll be even more angry if we don't head out on this road trip tonight._ I lean down to shake her shoulder, but right before I touch it…

 _What is this?_ The horrifying sense of dread whenever I saw that spearman, it's… I step back and fall to crouch on my knees right as the crimson spear jettisons through the space my head occupied a half-second ago and stabs through the dining table. "You! So, you _did_ survive getting pushed out the window…" The spearman forms into his human state before me, his hand clasped tightly around the base of his spear. He looks at me with an agitated expression and grunts while he yanks the spear out from our table. I look down to see Irisviel is now wide awake and looking up at the man in horror while slowly backing away from the table. "Irisviel, run! He's dangerous!" The man yanks his glare away from me and rests it on Irisviel.

"Who's this, boy? Your girl? Whoo, she's a pretty hot number." The man raises his spear up like a javelin and aims it right at her before cocking his arm back. "It's a shame a hot babe like you had to get involved with this too." _Wait, what'd he say? His arm, his spear, what he just said; he's going to kill her?!"_

"Aghhh!" I scream out and jump up, rushing towards him before I even realize what I'm doing. He looks back at me and the glare he gives me is enough to make it feel like my legs are made of lead. _No! Even so, I can't stop! I will protect Irisviel!_ "Take this!" I continue barreling towards him and when I'm within striking distance, without even thinking, I slug him across the face as hard as I can. As soon as my hand collides with his cheek, I feel the urge to scream in pain rise up as the punch I threw is met with incredible resistance. I look up to see his face didn't budge at all from me hitting him, but he now stared me down with a smile and a glint in his eyes.

"Ohhh, you up for a fist fight, eh? This is actually the second time now that you've hit me. What kind of a maniac tries to punch a Heroic Spirit?" _A Heroic Spirit?_ "Well, whatever. I have no idea how you survived me shish kebabbing you back there kid, but I'm sure glad you did." The blue man releases his hold on his spear and it fades away to dust, leaving him unarmed before me. "It's been far too long since I've been in a good fist fight. Of course, the chances of you winning this are practically zero, but this is the only chance you have. Show me what you got." As soon as he finishes blabbering, he raises up his hands and enters an odd stance that I've never seen before. I look to the side of him and see Irisviel still staring at us in shock.

"Shirou… a Heroic Spirit…" _What is she doing?!_

"Irisviel, hurry and get out of here! Go while you still can!"

"B-But Shirou you-"

"Irisviel, RUUUN! Can't you see you're in danger?!" Apparently, the man in blue doesn't care much for me having a conversation in the middle of our fight. On pure instinct, and from the brief moment I saw his body tense up in the corner of my vision, I flung myself from him and to the right side of the room, crashing into the wall the tv rested against. I look up just as his punch he threw while I dodged crashes into the wall and blows a hole clean through it, roughly the size of a beachball. I feel my mouth gape open as I stare in shock at how strong he is. I look at Irisviel who seems even more shaken up by the display. "I won't say it again, get out of here NOW!" She looks at me helplessly and finally jumps to her feet, quickly rushing out into the hall while sobbing worse than I've ever seen before.

"You know kid, this isn't gonna be any fun if you're not gonna fight. If that's the case, I'll just-" I cut him off by closing the distance between us with a jump from where I fell against the wall and off the table towards him and, using the momentum, another punch with my right fist to his nose. _Ugh! What the hell is this?!_ Just like before, the resistance against my punches are incredible, and even a square punch to the soft tissue of his nose isn't enough to affect him at all. "Oh, so we are gonna fight huh?"

"Are you kidding me? Did you see what you just did to Irisviel? And you plan on killing her after this to boot? Ha, no we're going to do much more than fight; I'm going to put you down like the dog you are!" I can feel his face bounce slightly beneath my fist as he lets out a soft chuckle at what I said.

"Is that right? No, no, maybe I shouldn't underestimate you at all. I mean, you're challenging me, a Heroic Spirit, to a _fist fight_. You must have some tricks up your sleeve." _Some tricks? Nope, nothing._ I pull my fist back and immediately go in for an uppercut with my left hand, but stop halfway and quickly duck, feeling another one of his punches barely whiz past the top of my scalp. "Dang kid, you're really good at dodging my punches. Not only good eyes, but your instincts must be top notch."

"Shut up!" I go in for another wide swing with my right arm, but this time instead of just letting it hit him, the man effortlessly sways to the side, dodging it completely. I don't let it slow me, and I go in for a quick succession of blows. I aim all four of my consecutive punches with my right arm at his face, and just like before, he dodges all of them. However, I trick him on the last one, swiftly swinging my torso to the right and slamming my left elbow into his gut.

"Ugh! What?!" I quickly recoil back onto my tiptoes, ready for a counter attack, but instead the man was bent over, clutching his stomach as though I severely hurt him. _What? Could that be his weak point?!_ "Just kidding!" He immediately regained his composure with his snide comment and, right afterwards, lunged at me with his right arm cocked back. _Shit, it didn't affect him. The way his arm's positioned… a right punch?_ I quickly lean to the side, ready to dodge his swing, but as soon as I do, I see a wide grin spread across his face. _No! It's a fake out!_ I turn on my heel and hoist myself to the opposite direction, just as his _left_ arm swings up for a powerful uppercut.

"Ah!" Even though I managed to barely dodge it, the force behind his swing was so great that I'm being blown back. I brace myself as I crash through the doorway and into the hall. My shoulder crashes against the wall, but I quickly regain my bearings and take the extended distance between us as a chance to make my way outside where it's more open. _Dammit!_ I run as fast as I can down the hallway and contemplate how the hell he could be so powerful. _He didn't even make contact with me and yet I was blown that far back. I even felt myself rise up in the air a few inches initially. If he actually landed one of those punches, it'd be game over._

I finally make it to the hallway with the door that leads to our backyard. I notice the door is open, indicating Irisviel must've gotten out. _Wait. If she's in the backyard… I can't take him out there! I'll have to-_ I turn around after hearing the rapid footsteps and the sound of the man jumping up from the wooden floor. _A strike from above?_ I look up to see him with his hands clasped together above his head, falling and getting ready to swing down like a sledgehammer. _Shit, I have to take a gambit!_ I dive straight forward, beneath him midair, and slide across the wooden floor. I hear him fall and slam his hands down to the wooden floor where I just stood. I could feel the shattering of the floor he struck and the vibrations in the surrounding wooden planks from the force. Followed shortly behind, the sound of glass breaking as a few of the windows in the hall gave out from the insane blow.

"Damn kid. You are really good at not getting hit. You're starting to get me determined to land a punch on your annoying little self." _I can't compete with this guy… No. I don't know how, but I'll beat him. If punches and blunt attacks won't work, then I'll stab him. But with what? … My lucky arrow!_ No, I can't do that. Just like my cell phone, the arrow is in my bag, which I left in the sports field. I rise up to my feet and catch my breath in my throat as the man instantly starts launching jab after jab at me. I couldn't sway and duck to dodge them as he could mine because his punches are completely on another level. They just look like blurs as he moves faster than my eyes can keep up with. All I can do is keep back stepping down the hallway and staying just out of his striking range. Eventually, I end up next to the open door leading to the backyard and as I pass it up, the man in blue smiles devilishly at me. "It's over kid, you lose." _What?_

"What do you-" I know what he means as soon as I step on it. I guessed at what it is before I look at it, and as soon as my eyes land on it, my suspicions are proven. Irisviel's phone. I stepped back on it and now that foot is sliding back, slipping, and my balance is lost. _Dammit! She must've dropped it in her rush to get out!_ When I look back at the man, his grin is gone, and his fist is already flying towards me. No time to dodge. No time to escape. All I can do… _Is block!_ I raise up my right arm just in time for his fist to collide with my forearm. With no effort at all, it snaps in two before my eyes, as though it was made of scrap paper. "Agh! AHHHH!"

"You're through kid!" He turns on his feet and presses forward with his punch, pinning my snapped arm between his fist and my chest, before walloping me to the side and out the door, into the backyard. I fly a few feet in the air before roughly landing on the grass and skidding a few more feet. Whenever I stop sliding, I instantly sit up and look down at my arm. I stare at it in shock while my rapid breathing goes out of control. _My… My arm._ The arm is snapped; both the radius and ulna bones in my forearm are completely broken and the bend there and at my elbow has my arm looking like a U shape now. _This pain… it's unreal, but I have bigger things to worry about now._ The blue man is now strolling across the grass towards me. He summons his red spear back into his hand, which glows eerily in the bright moonlight. "Well kid, for a normal guy, you sure as hell can fight."

"Am I… ngh, supposed to take that as a compliment?" The man chuckles and twirls his spear around before jabbing it into the ground next to him.

"You can take it as whatever you want, but yes, I meant it as a compliment. It's a shame too. If only you were a mage or had a magical weapon, a noble phantasm. I'm sure in the hands of you, it'd be frightful; a truly amazing battle." Once he's done with his little speech, the man pulls his spear from the ground and points it at me, closing in the little distance that remained between us. "But… you're not. You, sadly, don't have either of those. You're just a normal, unlucky guy. And with that," He pulls his spear back slightly, getting ready to jab it forward and through my chest once again. "goodbye." I feel an overwhelming fear and dread wash over me. _No, not again. I don't want to die a third time. But… it's over. I fought him with everything I had. And it wasn't enough._ I lower my head, not feeling confident enough to watch the crimson rod be driven through me again. Just as I feel as though I can come to terms with this, I remember something. _A fiery, harsh memory, that turned to a cool, serene one._

"… No!" _A memory with a white-haired woman who saved a boy and took him in as her own._ "This isn't where I die you bastard!" _She always smiles, always laughs, always loves me._ "Spear or not, I will beat you regardless!" The man in blue grins once more, but apparently decides to not go easy on me this time. He finishes pulling his arm, readied with his red spear, back and steps forward before jabbing it forward. _Irisviel… If I die here, wherever you are, he'll find you, and then it'll be you next. To my last breath, I'll keep fighting for you!_ I sling my right arm to the side as forcefully as I can muster, snapping my bones to align as straight as they can. "LET'S GO, BASTARD!" I pull up my fists despite the overwhelming pain and ready myself to take the strike from his spear and keep fighting, tooth and nail.

"Sorry kid! No dice!" The spear closes in and as soon as it passes between my two, raised fists, I grab at the shaft in an attempt to stop it. As soon as my fingers wrap around it, I realize how futile it was to try. As if I was attempting to push a moving truck against the direction it's driving, the spear continues forward, propelled by the man's godly strength. _I'm… sorry. Irisviel._ The very split moment I feel the sharp tip prick the skin where it had pierced earlier, I bite my lip, ready for the coming, familiar surge of pain.

"Hyaghhh!" In the same time the very tip of his spear touched my skin, a shouting figure collided into the side of the man in blue, quicker than I could process, to which he quickly withdrew his spear from me and rose to defend his side, just in time to block the… air? _That clanking of steel clashing against steel… Is there a sword beneath that air?_ I follow the small, swirling vortex of air to the gauntlet-clad arms holding it and then up the arms, to the face of the one who just saved my life. A… young woman with golden hair and crystal blue eyes stood before me, matching this overwhelmingly powerful man with equal strength. "It's time for you to back-" The girl raises the invisible sword she has clasped in her hands up and over her head. "up, Lancer!" _Lancer?_ The girl forcefully swings her blade down and clashes against "Lancer's" spear, but the force proves too great and he gets knocked back, flying a few feet away before swiftly landing in a crouching position on his feet and his free arm.

"Another heroic spirit? Shit, this just got so much more complicated." I look away from Lancer and back up to the new stranger who seems to have just saved my life. Upon noticing my stare, she too breaks her gaze from Lancer and looks down at me. _She looks as though she's the same age as me. Just… where did she come from?_

"I ask you, young man…" _Ask me? What's she going to ask me?_ I ready myself, just in case this newcomer also wanted to take my life for whatever reason. "I ask you to please clear out the immediate area. A battle between servants is about to go underway. You can go wait with my master, where it's safe." _Wait… what? Your… master? Servants?_


	6. Chapter 6

"You can go wait with my master, where it's safe."

 _Your… master?_ I turn to follow the direction she pointed in with her blade and my eyes fall upon the familiar shed. And inside it, hiding behind the frame of the entryway, is Irisviel peeking out. "Irisviel!" I quickly stand on my feet and begin hobbling over to the shed, cradling my shattered arm in the other.

"Shirou, hurry!" Irisviel calls out to me and emerges from the shed, taking a few steps out and reaching her hand out as though she thought I'd collapse before I made it. I pick up the pace and try to jog with my, now trembling, legs. _Getting killed, running all the way home, having my arm broken. The series of strenuous tasks I've gone through in the past few hours is finally taking its toll on me._

"Coming." While hurrying towards her, I hear the chatter between the two "heroic spirits" behind me stop and the familiar sound of weapons being bashed against each other resumes. I can feel the gusts being emitted from the strong collisions hitting my back, urging me to hasten my distance from the monsters.

I finally reach Irisviel and she wraps her arm around me while yanking me back into the shed with her. "Ugh! Irisviel, be gentle. My arm isn't in great shape right now." She gasps and loosens up on her grip once we're in the shed.

"My apologies Shirou, but we need some cover while those two fight it out. Let me see your arm, what happened to it?" I release my left arm from its position wrapped around my right and unveil the damage to her. She gasps and tentatively touches the crooked appendage.

"He decided he wanted to fist fight with me. I managed to live, but this is what happened when he landed just one hit." The worry in her eyes intensifies along with my explanation and once I finish, she walks to my work bench. I feel panic wash over me for a brief moment when she reaches onto the tool rack before pulling off and brandishing a woodcarving knife. She approaches me again.

"Hold still Shirou."

"O-Ok." I wait nervously as she raises the knife up to my broken arm and makes a small incision into the fabric of the long sleeve covering it, right at the seam next to my shoulder. She then drops the knife and curls her finger into the incision before yanking down and ripping the sleeve off in one go, unveiling my bare, battered arm.

"Mm, yes it does look pretty nasty, but the bone didn't puncture through the skin, which is good." I nod while looking down at my scraggly arm that has begun to flood with color from the internal bleeding. Irisviel walks away from me and towards my bin of scrap wood next to the workbench. She kneels down and begins rooting through it.

"Irisviel? What are you doing?" She pulls out two little planks of wood, each about the length of a ruler, and walks back to me.

"We need to set your arm before it can heal." She blatantly states while wrapping her hands around my shattered forearm.

"Oh yeah, right…"

"This is going to hurt Shirou, but I need to align the broken bones as best I can. It'll make the healing easier." I nod and bite my lip in anticipation. It comes quickly and unexpected; the pain throughout my appendage when she starts yanking and twisting the arm.

"Ngh!" I close my eyes from the sensation, but as soon as I do, I hear "Done!" in Irisviel's cheery voice. I open them and see her on the floor beginning to cut my sleeve into a long ribbon with the knife. I look at my arm to see its shape has returned almost to normal, minus the angry bruise and swelling. "You seem pretty competent on setting broken limbs, Irisviel. Almost like you've done it before." She just laughs before standing up with the long cloth bandage she made. Wasting no time at all, she grabs my arm, presses the short planks against it on each side, and before I know it, I have a little makeshift cast.

"There, all done." I inspect my new splint and tentatively try to open and close my stiff fingers. _It's still strange how the girl who lazes around home all day is so adept at this._ I open my mouth to give thanks to her, but as soon as I do I'm interrupted by a bright light emitting from beneath the splint. I nervously look towards Irisviel who has a similar blue hued light veiling around herself. I just stare in awe, unsure as to what I'm witnessing. Once the light finally ceases, all at once, I feel what can only be described as the pain melting away. I look back at my arm and freely open and close my fingers normally. _What?_ I can also see that beneath the cast the skin is no longer swollen and in hues of red and purple.

"Irisviel, what did you-"

"Come, let us check on the battle. Saber might need my assistance." Without even bothering to let me finish my question, Irisviel interrupts me and walks out the shed doors and back into the yard. I stand alone in the shed, dumbstruck as to what's going on and my head beginning to ache from all the fast-paced events transpiring tonight that I can't keep up with. After a moment, I sigh and follow Irisviel into the yard. _Who's "Saber", anyway?_

In the yard, unsurprisingly, the two warriors are still fighting to the death. My eyes are drawn back to the graceful, blonde knight wielding the vortex of air as a weapon. "Saber! Keep pressing the offensive! He wants to maintain distance between the two of you so his spear can perform optimally. Don't give him that opportunity!" I jump slightly in surprise from Irisviel so assertively barking out commands at "Saber". I notice the man in blue scowl at Irisviel before having to backstep a few feet from Saber attempting to tackle into him with her blade again.

"Yes ma'am, Irisviel!" _As I figured, the woman is the one called "Saber". And she referred to the blue man as Lancer…_ I begin to wonder at how she knows Irisviel's name while uncomfortably tugging at the ribbon of the splint. Without even glancing at me fiddling with the splint, Irisviel sternly tells me to stop.

"It still may not be healed completely and I may yet have to break the bones and reset them again. Keep the cast on for now." I quickly plant my arms back to my sides and chuckle nervously.

"Y-Yes ma'am." _I don't know where this stern, assertive Irisviel came from, but I'm not too keen about it…_

After the two warriors exchange blows a few more times, Lancer jumps up from the yard and onto the roof of the house. "Well Saber, up until your master had re-emerged from that shed, I was completely stumped as to what weapon you had hidden under that veil of wind, but after she revealed your class to me, how could it be anything other than a sword? And in these last few trades I now know the reach and width of it. Why not stop the gimmicks and quit hiding behind that wind sheathe?!" I glance towards the blonde knight whose stoic expression has still not faltered, when suddenly she cracks a smile.

"Impressive Lancer, but just as you have determined the characteristics of my hidden weapon, I have discerned some things about you as well." Lancer shares in the smug expression Saber has donned.

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Other than your mannerisms and attire completely indicating your Gaelic origins, the speed and skill with your spear paired with your animalistic fighting also give light as to who you may be." I've been impatiently tapping my foot on the grass this whole time while listening to them bicker. _I don't care about them or this fight, but if this woman is helping Irisviel she needs to hurry and smash this guy's head in. Stop wasting time talking!_ "Yes, few men can claim to have skills such as yours in their possession. Your renown betrays you, Lancer. Of Ireland's many great heroes, there aren't many that can-"  
"Enough of this!" I shout out, taking a step forward. Irisviel, Saber, and Lancer all look in surprise at my sudden outburst. "Get off the damn roof already asshole!"

"Wh- What'd you say!?" Lancer is taken aback by my sudden demand and Saber dons a bitter expression directed towards me, before turning to say something.

"I don't know who you are young man, but I'd ask that you not interfere. This doesn't concern you."

"Like hell it doesn't! This guy has been chasing me all night! And then he comes here and threatens Irisviel in front of me?" I feel a tug on my left sleeve and glance back to see Irisviel grabbing the fabric with her hand.

"Shirou, stop. Don't try to antagonize him."

"I'm not _trying_ to do anything." I turn my attention back to Saber. "Hey, windy girl." I call out to the blonde knight and upon hearing my choice of wording to refer to her, her gaze becomes more hostile and her face gets slightly flushed from embarrassment.

"W-Windy girl?"

"Yes, you. If you're supposed to be helping Irisviel, your 'master', then quit the chatting and start batting. Chase this guy off already." She begins stammering while I look back up at Lancer. "Get off the roof already, would you?! Any damage you cause up there, including what you've already done inside, is going have to be repaired by me and come out of my pocket!"

"Stop this at once, boy!" Windy apparently found the words she was looking for and starts barking at me again. "I don't know who you think you are, but if you don't stop interrupting this honorable battle, then-"

"Alright then." She's cut off by Lancer who suddenly speaks up while holding his spear back in the same fashion earlier when he was about to shiv me once again on the ground. "The smartass is right, Saber. I'm not too big on talking either, especially in the middle of a battle." He takes one final look at me and smiles as his crimson spear begins to glow vibrantly and spark violently. "I was right about you, you little punk. You remind me a lot of myself. So, since I like you so much, I'll grant your wish and finish this ordeal with the next strike!" _I can feel it again._ The same killing intent earlier tonight on the schoolyard. The move he was going to use on the man in the red cloak; he's about to unleash it here.

"Saber, look out! He's going to call upon his Noble Phantasm!" Irisviel calls out to Saber in a dire tone and Saber backs away from the house before readying her blade. Lancer laughs and extends his arm back before crouching down onto his opposite hand and feet, gaining the semblance of a savage wolf about to lunge.

"Move wherever you want to Saber," he exclaims "you can't escape this final strike!" I hear Irisviel turn on her heel and start running back to the shed behind me.

"Come on Shirou, come take cover with me!" I hear her shout out to me from the shed. I can't move though. I'm too fixated on seeing this man use his "Noble Phantasm". I can feel the sense of dread from before still within me, stronger than ever, but it is nothing compared to my desire to see this superhuman carry out this strike. "Shirou!" The spear becomes encased in a torrent of red energy and Lancer's body tenses up as he orients himself to pounce.

"Now Saber, fall! Gáe Bolg!" Upon uttering the alien words, Lancer darts from the rooftop, appearing as a red blur, leaving a shockwave in his wake that… th-that!

"That son of a bitch!" I watch, seething with rage, as the roof tiles and the decking beneath where Lancer once stood are shattered and blown to pieces by the force of his lunge and all the surrounding tiles are ripped off and jettisoned into all corners of the yard. I then remember the situation I'm in and rip my attention away from the destroyed roof and towards Saber, just in time to see her strike the tip of the red torrent with her veiled blade. Or at least, that's what I anticipated would happen, but right before the spear connected with the vortex of air, it took a sharp ninety-degree turn, and coiled around the blade before redirecting itself into Saber's chest. _What the hell? How did he…_ The spear moved almost like a lightning bolt, an electric current, being conducted towards Saber's heart.

"Urghhhh!" Lancer belts out an angry grunt as he hoists the speared warrior up into the air and slings her across the yard and- INTO THE ROOF?! I almost spit more obscenities at him, but suddenly worry as to the status of our current protector.

"S-Saber?" I call out tentatively, knowing I just saw a spear be driven through her, but not wanting to believe our chance at seeing tomorrow had lost.

"Tch!" I hear Lancer spit in disgust and I glare back at him, preparing in case he came for me or Irisviel next. "Get up already, blondie! I know you're still kicking!" Shocked by his words, I look up at… thedestroyedroof, and see Saber pulling herself up before jumping off and gracefully landing on her feet. "You're one lucky bastard, to be able to avoid death from my ultimate strike." Anger was clearly evident on his face, he's beyond pissed.

"Your cursed spear… to reverse cause and effect? By the name of Gáe Bolg? You're Ireland's Child of Light!" Apparently Saber surmised who the man's true identity is, though I fail to see what the significance of that is.

"Hm, indeed I am." Lancer's pissed expression fades away and he turns and begins walking away from us. "It's bad news if you know who I am and how my weapon works. My master is telling me to return since my Noble Phantasm didn't seal the deal." As he walks away, Saber begins approaching him, anger apparent across her expression.

"You'd dare run from our fight?" He stops walking for a moment and laughs.

"By all means, follow me if you want." He glares back at her over his shoulder. "Just know that it'll mean your death!" Before he continues to leave he glances at me and his intimidating glare is replaced with a smug look. "Have fun with the roof!" And with his last wrath inspiring statement, he jumps out of our yard, farther and higher than humanly possible, into the distance.

"Why you!" Saber begins to follow him and I get half a mind to go get my bow and go with her so I can turn the pompous ass into a pin cushion, but we both stop when Irisviel calls out while approaching us.

"Don't follow him Saber!" Saber looks at her with an expression indicating she's shocked by her command.

"B-But Irisviel, we can't let him escape. Despite finding out his true identity, he already knows much about us as well, it'll be nothing but disadvantageous if we were to-"

"I said don't! I summoned you to drive him off, not take him down as a contender!" Irisviel rubs her temple as though she has a bad headache coming on and I glare at Saber for bothering her. She notices my hateful look and returns it. "Just please, leave it be for now Saber. I have a lot I have to sort and figure out, I don't have time to go servant hunting. We're safe now, and that's all that matters." Saber pulls her glare away from me and returns it to her master.

"Very well Irisviel, I'll perish the thought for now. However, we are by no means safe now. There is another servant approaching the residence."

"What?!" Irisviel and I both shout out our shock in unison.

"Another one?" Irisviel softly questions Saber while her eyes fill with despair. _Dammit, these things are popping up everywhere._

"My master, please focus. I must go to intercept them. Will you heal me?" Saber rubs her bloodstained shoulder after asking.

"Huh? Oh o-of course, Saber. Here-" Irisviel points the palms of her hands at Saber and closes her eyes. The blue light that veiled her in the shed graces her again and a matching light pours from Saber's wounded shoulder. _So, it_ was _Irisviel that healed my arm. Is this… magic?_ After a brief moment, the light fades and Saber gives her shoulder a test roll before affirming she's ready and jumping over the **roof** and to the front side of the house. Irisviel quickly walks across the grass and onto the back porch. I stop worrying about whatever she did to heal Saber and I quickly followed suit onto the porch and through the back door.

Right before opening the front door, I hear the all-too-familiar sound of steel striking steel on the other side and realize they've already begun fighting. I hesitate. _I don't want Irisviel being in anymore danger tonight._ I turn to tell her we should stay inside, but before I can she places her hand over mine and opens the door before walking out. I sigh and follow in her footsteps to see Saber fighting a man in a red cloak. _Wait. Red cloak? If he's a servant then…_ "That's the other guy from the schoolyard." Irisviel looks at me inquisitively upon hearing me remark on who he is.

"Have you met this servant before, Shirou?" _He was fighting lancer at school, right before I was murdered. That doesn't necessarily mean he's our ally, but…_ Just as I remember there was someone else in red accompanying him, I notice said figure standing behind him. _Wait a minute that's,_

"Tohsaka?" Hearing me call her by name takes her attention away from the battle and relief floods her face when her eyes fall on me.

"It's you, Emiya. Could you call your servant off for a moment?" I glance at Saber who's still fighting eagerly while the man with the dual blades is trying his hardest to defend himself.

"Saber! Didn't you hear her? Stop!" Saber glances back at me with her angry glare before lunging at the man again, swinging with what seemed like even more gusto than before. I feel myself get irritated and look at Irisviel who's looking between all the members involved in the current situation with a confused and lost look. _She doesn't even know what's happening enough to tell her guard dog to back off. Though I suppose I'm not exactly aware of the current situation either._

I take a step forward to approach the battle and pester her to stop, but my first step is hindered when I stumble over something on the ground. My irritation runs deeper when I look to see it's a stray, stone roof tile that flew all the way over here. I swiftly pick it up with my left hand and follow Saber's movements until she finally stops for a moment during the fight. As soon as she does, I chuck it at her. The tile flies smoothly through the air up until impact on the back of her head, where it shatters.

"Ugh!" She turns and looks at the two of us and Irisviel quickly points at me to indicate I am the perpetrator. "Why would you!?"

"Hey. Stop." I nonchalantly command her. Her face burns an angry shade of red as she starts stomping over to me. I could practically see steam shooting out of her ears when she reached me and began violently poking me on my chest while telling me off. I ignore her ramblings and look at the two newcomers to see the man in red warily stare at Saber and I before finally relaxing and dissipating the two blades in his hands. I then turn my attention to Tohsaka who has already begun approaching us, with a complacent grin on her face. _Rin Tohsaka… how are you involved in all of this?_


	7. Chapter 7

I continue to murmur my dissatisfaction while tromping around the yard and picking up stray roof tiles to be stored in the burlap sack draped across my shoulder. Occasionally, I'll glare at the wall of the house that separates the backyard from the kitchen and scoff before returning to pick up some more tiles. _Issei was damn right, that Rin Tohsaka is a little witch!_ The events that took place only a handful of minutes ago play through my head again.

 _15 minutes prior:_

While Saber continues her barrage of finger jabs at my chest, Tohsaka finally makes her way to us, still donning her confident smile. "What are you doing here Tohsaka?" I didn't mean for my tone to be defensive and sound harsh, but it clearly carried that connotation. She doesn't take another step forward, implying she received the same vibe, but still kept her smile all the same.

"We knew there would be a servant battle here. What competent master wouldn't take the opportunity to gather intel on their opponents?" _Opponents? So, all these servants and masters really are out for each other's heads._ I glance down at Saber's, now lowered, sword. _Maybe I shouldn't have called off Saber. Especially if these two plan to hurt Irisviel._

"Calm down boy, there's no need to look so troubled." I raise my head at the sudden input of a gruff voice. My eyes fall upon the man in red who'd still not moved from his spot. "We aren't here to fight right now. In fact, my master only told you half the truth. She mainly came because she was worried about you."  
"Shut up! Archer!" Tohsaka immediately snapped at him once he unveiled her true intentions. Her smile full of bravado from earlier was gone and now she just looked angrily embarrassed. I look once again at the man in red. _Archer? Based on what I know; of Saber having her sword, Lancer having his crimson spear… His title indicates him to be a bowman?_ Just as my interest in this particular heroic spirit is suddenly elated, my attention is drawn back to Tohsaka as she loudly clears her throat. "Annnnyways, Emiya. Now that I've ascertained you made it home safely back from school, I have another matter I'd like to discuss. I see you've made a contract with a heroic spirit. That is indeed truly surprising; I never would have pegged you as a mage." _Another mentioning of magic. It's funny how in just one night I'm exposed to something I've only heard of in stories and fairy tales._

"Actually, no, you're wrong. I'm not a mage and this isn't my heroic spirit." Tohsaka's posture crumbles all at once upon me correcting her and her expression is stroked over in disbelief.

"Heh? Th-Then who's…" It was my turn now to don the smug expression after having her disposition be foiled twice before me.

"Yeah, that's right. She's not mine. So why don't you just run along now." I beckon my hand at her as though I'm shooing off a cat. Her dumbstruck face quickly evolves into an agitated stare, but then her eyes trail away from me and fall behind me. I follow her gaze and see that Irisviel must've been what caught her attention.

"Who's that, Emiya?"

"She's-" Before I can answer, Irisviel barrels past me and Saber like a freight train and quickly wraps her hands around Tohsaka's.

"Hi! I'm Irisviel Emiya! Just call me Shirou's mommy! Are you Shirou's friend? I'm so happy to meet another friend of his besides Sakura and the boy from Ryuudou temple! I was beginning to think he was socially awkward but if he has a friend as pretty as you!" My composure shatters and I cradle my embarrassed face in my hands as Tohsaka and Archer alternate their stares of confusion between Irisviel's sparkling eyes full of wonder and my face covered in shame. Tohsaka casts a particularly disgusted glare at me, as though she was looking at trash.

"Shirou's… mommy?" _She's definitely getting the wrong idea!_

"NO"Yes!" As I vehemently deny the notion, Irisviel eagerly voices her confirmation of it. I rapidly shake my head.

"No, no, no! She's just my mom, my step mom!" Tohsaka still doesn't look convinced while Irisviel just looked confused as to my mentioning of "step mother", as though it was common sense that she was my step mother. _Irisviel, your body looks like you're not a day over 21 and your mannerisms are like a teenager's. NO ONE but you thinks it's obvious you're my guardian!_ Tohsaka still doesn't looked convinced, but she pulls her attention away from me and places it back on "mommy".

"I… see." After returning to face the overwhelming positive energy flowing from Irisviel, Tohsaka looks down uncomfortably to her hands being restrained. I follow her gaze and notice something shocking. The scarlet welp that I'd discovered on Irisviel's hand that morning had spread and turned into what looks like an ornate, red tattoo. It is far too intricate to just be a "bruise". The pattern is vaguely reminiscent of a butterfly. I then notice that underneath Irisviel's tightly clutched fingers, I could make out a red marking on Tohsaka's own hand. As I open my mouth to question what's going on with the hand tattoos, Tohsaka speaks up. "I seeee… Yeah, I see now." Her devilish smile has returned, and her eyes are locked onto Irisviel's marking.

"See? See what?" Tohsaka doesn't pay any mind to my question and instead begins walking towards the front door of the house, her hands clasped around Irisviel's now with just as equal force, dragging her along.

"Hey, Shirou's mommy, let's go inside. There's a lot I need to discuss with you. I don't know if you're completely aware of what's happening now or not, but if you are, then you already know it's serious. The Holy Grail War has started." All at once, Irisviel's joyous and playful expression was extinguished and her face looked stone-cold serious at Tohsaka's mention of a war. _Holy Grail? Like that magic cup in Christianity?_

"Alright, you seem to know a thing or two, and as far as I can tell you aren't hostile. I'll hear out what you have to say." And just like that, Irisviel immediately accepts Tohsaka's proposition.

"Wha- What do you mean Irisviel? We don't know anything about this Holy Grail War. Why are you going to just listen to twintails here, who has one of those monster humans who could pop our head off at any moment?" I heard a prompt "hmph" behind me from Archer and Saber, indicating they weren't too pleased with the predisposition I held towards "heroic" spirits. Tohsaka also looked as though she was about to blow her top off after hearing my nickname for her. Irisviel's expression softens a little as she looks back at me.

"Yes, it's true you don't know the implications of the Holy Grail War, but as I'm sure you've gathered throughout tonight, _I_ do know of it. And at this point, I may have become unavoidably involved in it… again." _Again?_

"Well… What about the road trip? Weren't we planning on packing up and skipping town tonight?"

"That was before all of this happened. Leaving might not be an option open to us anymore." _Dammit, I'd really rather not get involved in all this foolishness about wizards and ghosts. There's no way this all will be good for Irisviel either; everything inside me about this situation is screaming "bad vibes"._ I suppose for now we should at least hear Tohsaka out. I let out a disgruntled sigh of defeat.

"Alright, come on then. Let's hurry and hear what she needs to say." Tohsaka shakes her head and points to the yard.

"No, you stay out there and wait for us to finish talking. I'm not quite ready to disclose these things with a non-mage; especially one who appears to be 100% oblivious to what's going on at the moment." I'm taken aback by the audacity this girl is suddenly displaying.

"Wait, are you trying to tell me I'm not allowed to go into my own house and be a part of a conversation that involves the wellbeing of Irisv-"

"I also agree that this situation is not much of your concern." I nearly bite my tongue at Saber deciding to throw her two cents into the conversation.

"Well, I don't think anyone asked you Sa-"

"I also don't think there's any reason you need to be in the know about what's happening. After all, you're just a normal guy." _And now the redcoat thinks his input is necessary._ Instead of bickering with the three musketeers, I instead look to Irisviel to see what she says. She notices my gaze hinting for her to say what she thinks and shrinks a little bit.

"M-Maybe… just let me talk to them for now, Shirou? I'll fill you in on the details I find important afterwards." Tohsaka's eyes light up in revelry over Irisviel's agreeance. She turns her victorious grin towards me and mimics the shooing gesture I used on her earlier.

"You heard her, Emiya. Go practice shooting your bow or something. We won't be long." I stare daggers at her for a brief moment but decide to not waste my time and instead groan in annoyance while walking away from the group. Before I leave, I decide to impart one last thing to them.

"Saber." Saber locks her eyes, defensive as always, with mine upon calling her name. "If Irisviel's your master or whatever, then be a good servant and keep her safe in case red riding hood and her big bad wolf try anything funny." Saber doesn't crack a smile or even show annoyance at my attempt at a joke and instead just nods, maintaining her serious expression. The same can't be said for Tohsaka and Archer, one of whom angrily stared me down and muttered "red riding hood?" under her breath while the other let out a "hmph" before turning his back on me and fading away to dust as Lancer had done earlier tonight in the school, after he'd stabbed me. _I guess they all can do that…_ I glance at Irisviel again and weakly smile before swallowing my pride and walking off, while anxiously scratching the back of my head.

 _Present:_

"Honestly, who does she think she is? Never saying a word to me and then suddenly showing up tonight after all those hectic occurrences and acting like she owns the place…" I lower myself onto my knees and gather the surrounding tiles into a neat little pile before placing them atop the others in the sack and pushing down to make them barely fit. I tie up the sack and sigh before rising back up to my feet and stretching my left arm that's been having to do all the collecting, on account of my wrapped up right arm. _I've been picking them up for a while, I've probably gotten almost all of them together by now._ Once this thought occurs to me, I look back and forth across the yard to admire the fruits of my labor… and realize I'm going to need at least two more sacks to gather up all the rest. "Dammit!" I angrily give the sack I've filled a light kick to vent some frustration. _Why is their conversation taking so long!?_

"Hey kid! I think you missed a few." I grit my teeth upon hearing the ill-mannered comment in the voice of none other than my new friend, Archer. I turn around and almost pop a vessel when I see him standing proudly on top of the roof looking down on me with his arms crossed like some kind of king.

"Oh, _HAHA_ , so funny! Now, if you don't mind, could you get off the roof? It's already become unsightly enough tonight without having you leering over it like a scarlet gargoyle!" Archer chuckles slightly before sitting down cross-legged, assumedly to piss me off even more.

"You're quite funny yourself. Hey, did you ever hear the one about the Lancer, Archer, and the moron who walked into a high school together? You'll love the punch line, it's a real _killer._ " _I hate this man. So much._ I decide to ignore him and just go back to picking up the stone tiles closest to my practice target on the opposite side of the yard.

After clearing out all the ones by the lone, straw target, I turn around and begin walking towards the shed with a hefty stack of tiles under each arm. I'm not too pleased to see the heroic spirit still up on the roof, watching me like a hawk. "Why are you out here anyways big guy? Don't you want to hear what your precious master is discussing inside?" He doesn't respond immediately and instead just laughs at my apparent struggle with keeping ahold of the tiles underneath my cast-clad right arm.

"No, not really actually. And besides, even if I did, before she went in with the other two she told me to just stay out here and keep watch; that they were having girl talk and I couldn't be a part of it either." _Huh, so we're in the same boat._

"Is that right? Well then, riddle me this: What's with you assholes and roofs anyways? I've met three of you bastards tonight and each of you has made a trip up to my humble rooftop. Does every heroic spirit need to perch on a certain number of roofs in their lives before they can pass on to the afterlife or something?" He lets out what sounds like a genuine laugh at my sarcastic question as I let out a guttural growl while trudging towards the shed and trying to ignore his giddiness.

"Haha, who knows? Maybe we servants find them as a place of spiritual healing, like the living do to a church. It couldn't possibly be something like an advantageous point for a battle or an optimal height to scout the surroundings or anything." I wipe off the beads of sweat on my forehead after placing the tiles down in the shed, not appreciating the returned sarcasm of the roof goblin. I walk back out to the center of the yard where I left the burlap sack and hoist it up and onto my left shoulder before looking up at him.

"Oh yeah? Well there's a utility pole next to the street in front of the house about a 20 second walk from where you are that offers a greeeeaaat view of the surroundings. It's even a good bit taller than our roof too. Why don't you try that for an 'optimal height'?" Archer sighs and stands up before turning his back to me.

"Well isn't that kind of you to suggest. Aren't you just a ray of sunshine."

"Yeah, yeah. Go dissipate into a puff of smoke or whatever it is you guys do." At my request I see him fade away in the corner of my vision as I turn to go place the sack in the shed. After I drop the sack next to the two stacks of tiles, I almost take a step towards the back of the shed to try and find another sack to collect the remaining tiles in when I hear the back door open up.

"Shirooou!" Irisviel calls out to me from the back porch in her normal, cheery voice. I turn to see her quickly walking towards me while the other two girls wait on the back porch, Saber now cloaked in a yellow raincoat. _Wait- is that my raincoat?_ As I begin reflecting on my wardrobe steadily shrinking from all the women nabbing my clothes, Irisiviel makes it to the shed just as I close the doors. "Shirou, we're about to go out; Rin, Saber, and I. There's something I have to confirm at this church she mentioned to me." _And now a church? What happened to the "war"? I'm so lost right now…_

"Alright… I mean if you really feel as though you need to." She firmly nods her head at my unsure response.

"Yes, I really feel I need to. If this man at the church is the one I think it is, then this situation just rose to top priority." I begin walking towards the back porch upon Irisviel making her way there after insisting she must go.

"Ok, ok. Whatever you want to do. It's not like I know enough about what's going on to advise you on whether you should or not." She apparently didn't pick up the hint I laid out on asking if I could be allowed into the loop of what the hell's happening, instead beckoning for Rin and Saber to follow her as she passes the porch and walks towards the front yard on the right side of the house. "Wait, we're leaving now?" Rin briskly walks past me, bumping my arm, followed by Saber, also bumping my arm… slightly harder.

"Yes," Rin answers, not turning around as she continues to diligently follow Irisiviel " _we_ are leaving now. _You_ on the other hand, are staying here." My brows furrow in annoyance, having had about enough of this girl's sassiness.

"Why is it I'm not coming, exactly?" We've reached the gate at this point and the three girls had already walked out and stepped onto the street, preparing to trek on to the church.

"Shirou," Irisviel answers "we won't be gone long. In fact, I'm probably not even going to discuss anything with him. I just want to confirm it is _him_." _Who's this "him" that she's so concerned about?_ "You've been through so much tonight, please just stay here and rest." I angrily shake my head and step out to follow them.

"As if I could rest after everything that's happened tonight! Irisviel, the state I'm in is of no concern; all that matters is _your_ safety. With all that's happened, I don't think I should stay very far from-" Tohsaka firmly places her hand in front of me, interrupting and indicating me to not step any further.  
"Enough, Emiya. She may want you to rest, but can't you see the real reason is that you'd just get in the way?" I grit my teeth at her bluntness and open my mouth to protest, but Irisviel does for me.

"Rin…" Undeterred by Irisviel warily calling her name, Tohsaka presses on.

"You're a normal guy, caught up in a story about magic and heroes; it's best for you to stay as uninvolved as possible. You talk about having to protect her, but the only one whose safety is at risk is yours." She punctuated her last comment by poking me on the chest with her outstretched hand. I wanted to retort. I wanted to shoot down her argument harshly, and stubbornly walk past them and towards the church; not caring about their permission or not. However, she was right.

"W-Whatever then!" I turn on my heel and run back through the yard and around the house, towards the shed. I hear my name get called out in Irisviel's worried voice but ignore it as I reach the shed and angrily sling the door open.

As much as it pissed me off, Tohsaka was right; this isn't my story. When that Lancer guy was here earlier, I couldn't do anything but be kicked around like a ragdoll up until Irisviel saved me. _Dammit, why do I have to be so weak?!_ I look back across the yard to see if they had followed me or if they were going to call out to me again, but after a minute I realized they must've left. What catches my attention, however, is Archer, standing on top of the utility pole, staring at me as I wait expectantly in the doorway of the shed. I stare at him inquisitively, wondering why he wasn't following them, but just as I open my mouth to call out to him and ask what the hell he's doing, he turns and jumps down from the pole to the street below. I sigh and walk into the shed. _Weirdo…_

Back inside the shed, I notice the cloth blanket I had my special project strewn across was bunched up and across the room in a messy pile, with wood pieces and tools sticking out in various spots. _Irisviel must've kicked it over there when she rushed in here when Lancer attacked earlier… that clutz._ I realize that not only the blanket, but many objects I had lying around the room appeared to be messily shoved to the side. It doesn't take much investigation to see why; on top of the concrete floor, expanding across the left side of the shed, is a giant, red multi-layered circle. _When did this get here?_ I kneel down to get a closer look at it. _It looks like some kind of demon summoning glyph… and is it drawn in blood?_ I shiver at the thought before standing up and wandering towards the rack I have fastened to the opposite wall of the shed.

On the rack hung the finest pieces that I've made over the years. The yew longbow that I usually shoot when I practice at home, another longbow made from elm, and finally a recurve of hickory and cherrywood. _All my others I usually sell for a pretty profit, but these were just too amazing to sell._ I trace my finger along the smooth wooden limbs before dropping it down and opening the long, wooden locker I have at the base of the rack. _If I plan on going out, I should probably take_ something _in case I run into one of those monsters._ Inside is another weapon, but not one that I made. I wrap my hand comfortably around the handle and trigger of the small, compact crossbow.

"I guess I'll have to take you this time… Can't really draw a bow with my arm wrapped up like a mummy, huh?" Thankfully, I always keep it cocked with a bolt ready to be shot, so I won't have to worry about cocking it with my bandaged hand. I clip the metal ring on the handle of the crossbow onto my back belt loop and exit the shed, not worrying about taking any extra ammunition. _I wouldn't be able to load it anyways…_ Actually, my arm feels better than ever, so it'd probably be ok to get rid of the annoying splint by now, but Irisiviel made it pretty clear to not do that until she checked it again.

Once inside the house, I look through my closet until I find a black coat that extends all the way to the knees, almost like a trench coat, and decide to wear it so the crossbow would be concealed while I was out on the streets. I almost feel bad for not staying put like the girls asked me to, but decide that if they're going to ditch me and leave me alone, I might as well make the best of my time. _It's already been a few hours since I left the school; my bag might have already been picked up by somebody._ If it wasn't already too late, it would certainly be in a few hours when dawn breaks and the janitors make their early rounds. Besides my cell phone and wallet, my lucky arrow is also in there. I can't rest easy if I don't have it on or nearby me at all times; especially with all these freaks running loose.

I shut the gate and start briskly jogging towards the school. I feel the small crossbow clank around against my backside as I hastily move onwards. _I don't really like crossbows, but I suppose it's better than nothing._

The small, handgun-sized crossbow was a gift to me from my woodworking mentor when I "graduated" from his services. After the fiasco with Irisviel's previous "proprietor", I was worried about her safety and began contemplating if a handgun would be a worthwhile investment. After confiding in my mentor about it, he said it'd be hard to get my hands on one with how young I was and how strict gun policies are in Japan; that I should just forget about it.

He later surprised me with this gift, stating it was a step below a gun, but a step above a normal bow. I, however, disagree completely and find bows superior in every manner. Of course, I didn't say that to his face, but instead graciously accepted his gift. The only thing I use it for now is a quick alternative to have nearby in the shed in case anyone gets the drop on Irisviel or I and I don't have time to ready a bow. Though, I suppose it's proving its handiness tonight as I venture forth to retrieve my belongings. _Even though I seriously doubt that if I run into that Lancer asshole again it will actually help…_

I slow down my pace to a walk as I approach the last turn that leads to the four-way intersection right before the school. The crossbow no longer jerked around and clanked as I ran, but instead softly shifted and jingled beneath my coat in sync with my quiet footsteps. There was a noticeable nip in the air and the night was eerily quiet as I continued forward. _My body must be remembering what happened here at the school just a few hours ago… I can't shake this sudden terror in my gut as I approach it._ I shove my hands into my coat pockets… then deep, deep, deeper until I've stretched them out as far as they'll go. The sound of my sneakers scratching against the concrete sidewalk as I moved forward sounded blaringly loud now. It tore and echoed throughout the dead-silent air as I cut the corner to face the four-way intersection.

I stare across the intersection and up the rising street that leads into the school, only to find atop it two people standing in wait in front of the school gates, directly beneath a street light. The light above them was out, and I could only make out their silhouette thanks to the other street light a short distance behind them. I immediately notice something unnerving about the contrast between the two and debate whether to continue onwards or not.

I finally muster up the courage and take one more step forward. As soon as the pad of my shoe touches the ground, I hear a buzzing snap several times from the street light I had thought went out above the two strangers. Following in tune with the short-lived bursts of sound being emitted from the overhead light, a dim glow briefly flickered from the bulb and onto the two street-dwellers beneath. From their features being shortly portrayed to me by the faulty street lamp, my eyes widen in realization of who I've come across.

The luminescence of the light is caught in her white hair and pale skin. She needn't even open her closed eyes for me to know that crimson irises rested beneath. Standing to her right, only a short distance behind, is the one I'm more concerned about. A hulking behemoth of which only his body I can make out, as his head is veiled by a shroud of steam from his hot exhalations whipping at the cold night air and forming a thin mist. Beneath the heaving monster's cover, there's a pair of bright glints piercing through the fog from his beady eyes, peering at me. The familiar girl steps in front of the almost 10-foot tall man and widens her smile before opening her eyes so that her gaze falls upon me.

"So, you've finally made it… big brother."


	8. Chapter 8

"So, you've finally made it… big brother." The girl walks forward from her spot under the blown street lamp until she reaches the next one at her corner of the four-way stop. The constant light on her and the shorter distance between us really accentuated just how happy and carefree she seemed to be.

I swallow nervously at the ominous, gleeful child and what I can only assume to be her servant towering further behind her, standing like a statue in his spot, not following her forward. It was a stroke of luck that I decided to shove my cold hands into my pockets before I cut that corner, else the two would see how much they're shaking right now. I force myself to let out a little chuckle.

"Good to see you again too, 'little sis'. Although uhh, hey not to alarm you or anything, but I think there may be an escaped zoo gorilla about to sneak up on you." _I'll try to appeal to her humorous side; make it seem I'm not scared or shaken._ She too, lets out a little giggle.

"Haha, you're funny. No silly, that isn't a gorilla, it's Berserker." _"Berserker"? That title doesn't bode well at all._ Upon the mentioning of his name, the dead-still monster comes to life and emits a low growl that's akin to a lion's throaty warning howl. "So, big brother. Where's your servant at? You might want to hurry and call them out. Once Berserker charges, it'd be good to have something between you and him to take the blow, so you don't get eviscerated." _Well that was… blunt._

"I-Is that right?" I respond warily, feeling less certain now after the girl confirmed she was indeed a hostile presence. "I was actually hoping maybe we could just go our separate ways for now, pretend this little meeting never happened?" The girl continues to cheerily smile at me and then tilts her head in confusion as though my words were incomprehensible to her. "I-I don't have a servant, you see. I'm not a master in this 'Holy Grail War'; hell, I'm not even a mage." Her eyes sparkle and immediately fill with wonder and curiosity.

"Really?! Ahhh, big brother isn't a master? Big brother isn't even a mage?! That's crazy… Then what have you been doing all these years?" Her last remark carried a much more serious tone and had an almost vindictive connotation. Her smile still remained, however.

"I've been living. Living a normal life that didn't involve all this craziness." She continues to stare me down until she suddenly turns from me and faces up the street behind her, towards Berserker.

"Really..." After responding she stands still for a moment. Stands still up until I hear her say, almost inaudibly from where I'm standing, "must be nice" under her breath. "Take him down Berserker." Her sudden command makes my eyes widen and the fear inside well up.

"Wait, you can't be serious!" Berserker heeds her command and begins slowly stepping towards us, all while humming a steady whir, like an engine starting up.

"Cut his arms off, disembowel him, flay his legs; I don't care. Just don't kill him or else I won't be able to keep him." This can't be real. This can't be happening. Why does this have to plague _me_ all of a sudden? What did me and her do to deserve all this?

 _Her…_ My thoughts wander to Irisviel and what she's doing right now as the heaving monster towing the giant, monolithic sword draws ever closer.

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

The church looks just the same as it did all those years ago when I first came to see it. Back then, when I'd heard the Kotomine church was in such close proximity to our house, I immediately came here to see if it was true. And, surely enough, on that day atop this hill stood the church, looking the same as it does now. I never dared to venture inside and meet the despicable man, but, now knowing his role in this war, I now have to confront him. Rin taps me lightly on my shoulder.

"Miss Irisviel, are you about ready to go inside? You look as though something's troubling you." I nod while trying to regain my composure, not wanting Rin to worry about my state of mind.

"Yes Rin, I'm ready whenever you are. Pardon my daydreaming, I was… just wondering if we made the right choice telling Shirou to stay behind." Rin sighs and facepalms herself slightly, showing her discontent with me bringing up the subject.

"This again? How many times do I have to tell you that it is for the best? We very well could have encountered a servant on our way here and may yet still on our way back. Knowing his temperament, I didn't want to take him just for him to start fisticuffs with one and get pummeled. It's safer and easier for both us and him this way." I sigh and nod softly, knowing logically that she is right, but feeling so strongly in my heart that she's wrong; that we should've taken him with us.

"You're right, Rin." I turn towards Saber who's standing diligently next to the iron gate. "And you're sure you won't come in with us, Saber?" Saber firmly nods her head without turning to face me.

"Yes, Irisviel. Unlike you, I don't think I'd be able to control myself from slicing him in two once my eyes fell upon him. Therefore, I'll remain out here." I notice Rin getting slightly alarmed from Saber's obvious hatred of the priest. I weakly laugh before stepping through the gate and heading towards the front door, Rin following shortly in suit. She once again taps me on the shoulder while we walk.

"I know I've already asked, but why exactly is it you two hate Kirei so much? I mean, I know he's a despicable guy, I just want to know what makes you both feel so strongly about him." I wonder about how to answer her without going too in-depth to all the atrocities about the previous war.

"Ummm, a lengthy family feud?" She doesn't look convinced by my answer but says nothing more as we reach the large door. _I'd like to tell you more Rin, but I still don't know whether you're a friend or foe. I know only that you were raised by this man and that_ he _is a foe. I can't confide in you fully until I'm sure your loyalties aren't tied to him._ I remember the conversation we had earlier in the house as I contemplate the trustworthiness of the newcomer.

 _Emiya residence, 40 minutes prior:_

I continue to watch Shirou's friend Rin, in surprise, as she walks into our kitchen and gathers the necessary components to brew some tea, without having even asked permission. _I kind of got the vibe she was a brazen girl when she shooed Shirou off and forbid him from listening to us talk, but now I really see it doesn't take her long at all to get comfortable._ After she sets the kettle on top of the heater to boil, she takes a seat across from me at the table.

"Now then, 'Shirou's mommy', let's get down to business." I giggle slightly at how adorable it is she's still calling me that. "What's so funny?"

"Ah, nothing. Although I should mention, you don't need to keep calling me that. I just told you to call me by that in front of Shirou to help loosen him up a bit. In case you haven't noticed, he can be a real stiff sometimes." Rin blushes slightly.

"O-Of course, I knew that! Who would seriously call you 'Shirou's mommy'? Anyways, what would you like me to call you?"

"Feel free to just use Irisviel."

"R-Really? Well in that case, call me Rin."

After establishing a first name basis, Rin talks about how she never knew Shirou had a stepmom and how she never would've guessed I'd be so pretty. We then chat for a bit about how Rin and Shirou knew each other before the kettle starts whistling and shooting steam out. Rin quickly steps up to grab it and bring it back to the table. After pouring herself a cup she notices Saber and I looking at her expectantly before blushing again.

"Ah, oh how impolite of me, would you like some miss Irisviel?" I shake my head while Saber scooches up closer to the table, next to me.

"I would appreciate a cup, though" Saber politely requests.

Once the two were contently sipping on their tea, I realize we had gotten sidetracked and begun talking about pleasantries instead of the matter at hand. I clear my throat, drawing the attention of the other girls back to me.

"Now then, so the Holy Grail War truly has started?" Rin places her cup on the table while solemnly nodding her head.

"Yes. When I'd last talked to the overseer of this war, he said that there were only two more masters not accounted for, including myself. Now that I've met you tonight, all masters should be active at this point." I sigh and frown, not having wanted the situation to be so developed at this point. I turn to Saber who'd been observing the conversation from the sidelines silently.

"Saber, what would you say to me wanting to withdraw from the Grail War?"

"WHAT!?" I jump back a little in surprise at the two girls shouting their response in unison. Saber rises to her feet with a serious expression.

"Irisviel you can't be serious, right? I-" Saber pauses and glances at Rin before turning her attention back to me to continue. "I know a lot must've happened to you in the previous war; in fact, I'm not even quite sure how you're still here today, but this is our chance to make everything right." _So, she_ does _have all her memories still intact._ I hear Rin gasp and speak up across the table once Saber finishes.

"Previous war?... You were in the last Holy Grail War?!" I rub my head once again in slight disappointment at Saber for revealing that piece of sensitive information.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say I was 'in it'. Let's just say, I was indirectly involved with it. It was my beloved who was a master, not myself; I only know the gist about the war and what happened." I quickly try to reassure her that I knew very little about the wars and that I didn't play a major role. She looks disappointed by my answer, but still convinced, as she settles back down in her seat. Saber, however, still stood looking unsatisfied.

"Irisviel, I cannot stand for not participating in this war. I respect your feelings, but-"

"I'm sorry Saber, but I have no intention of fighting in this war. It makes it harder for me to refuse you knowing that you somehow remember our time together from the last war, but I just can't, not again… I have something more valuable that I have to protect now…" She seemed enraged by my answer, but she finally yielded and fell to her knees, begrudgingly retaking her spot at the table next to me. Rin seems a little uncomfortable from the awkward situation she found herself in the middle of, but she eventually collects herself and breaks the silence.

"I-I see. I don't know whether to be sad or happy that I'll be losing you as a candidate in this war… You said, 'something more valuable', right? Do you mean Emiya?" I nod at her. She ponders for a second before continuing. "I assume that's why he's in the dark about everything that's happening. Why you haven't been raising him to be a mage, a master?" _She catches on quickly…_ I nod again. "I see. I was wondering why someone such as yourself who seemed like a seasoned mage wasn't training a pupil. So that's your method of protecting him." I nod and smile slightly while thinking about my precious Shirou.

"It's just," I continue "it's hard to protect someone like him. At some point he got it in his head that the roles were reversed and that he's going to protect me; almost like I'm the child and he's the guardian. Given his disposition, maybe it _would_ have been best to teach him magic and inform him about my past. After all, it's hard to keep someone safe who seems to have no regard for his own life." Despite how upset I made Saber, she was still following the conversation along carefully. Once I finished my little tangent, she decided to speak up.

"Who is this Shirou Emiya anyways, Irisviel? He seems awfully important to you. You both said earlier that you were his mother, or stepmother rather?"

"Indeed. At the end of the previous war, my beloved rescued him from the Fuyuki fire and we adopted him. He's been with me ever since." Saber's expression softens slightly, and she sighs, appearing to be a bit more understanding now.

"Kiritsugu, huh?" Saber whispers under her breath.

"Anyways," I continue, wanting to get off the subject "you said you spoke to the overseer, Rin? May you get me in contact with him, so I can officially withdraw? I'd appreciate it if you could do it as soon as possible." Saber scoffs at my request while Rin nods her head.

"Actually, Miss Irisviel, he lives pretty close by to your house. We can go tonight actually, if you're ready." I feel relief wash over me upon her stating we could visit him so soon. _Shirou and I may yet get out of this safe and sound._ "Yeah, Kirei can be a real grump most of the time, but he'll just have to deal with a little surprise visit." _…what?_

"Rin… did you just… Kirei? As in, Kirei Kotomine?" I feel Saber tense up next to me and Rin's face lights up in surprise at my mentioning of his full name.

"Yes, that's him. Do you know him?" _I should've known. The church is the group tasked with overseeing the war and his establishment is only a short walk away from here. Who else could have been the overseer but him?_ Saber answers Rin in my stead, as I'm taking a moment to deal with the realization and the memories of the vile man.

"Yes, Rin. Unfortunately, we do." Saber simply states.

"Unfortunately?" Rin questions. "What kind of beef do you guys have with Kirei? I've basically been raised by him and I can concur he's not too swell of a guy, but you two look like you saw a ghost when I mentioned him." I look skeptically at Rin after she reveals her relationship with him. _How involved with Kirei is this girl?_ I stand up, deciding that meeting this overseer became much more important than I thought.

"Never mind withdrawing from the war. For now, I have to go meet this man. Immediately." Saber stands up next to me, her face filled with hope.

"Does this mean?" I nod at her reassuringly.

"Yes Saber, this changes things. We may have to get into the mix to disrupt this priest's plans, whatever they may be." I walk out of the room and into the hallway to go retrieve my coat to wear on our walk over there, hearing Rin call out "Plans? What plans?" to me as I walk.

 _Kotomine church, present:_

I shake the chills out and bravely open the large door, unveiling the dark, candlelit interior of the church. Past the rows of long, wooden pews and at the base of the altar, stood Kirei Kotomine with his back turned to us. As I walk forward with Rin, I notice his appearance, at least from behind, differed since I last saw him; his hair being longer and his clothing now consisting of a long, dark blue robe. Unable to contain my anxiety anymore, I stop walking and shout out at him.

"Kirei Kotomine! I have some questions for you!" I felt embarrassed upon hearing my squeaky voice calling him out and trying to sound intimidating. I hear the sound of his bible slapping shut as he turns to face the two of us, a smile on his face. He focuses his attention on me and his eyes light up in surprise.

"Why, hello there. If I'm not mistaken, I know you from somewhere, yes?" I frown at the priest who's obviously playing dumb.

"Yes, you do. It's bad enough you're still crawling around from the last war, but now the church has decided to put someone like you in charge of this one?" The man laughs while walking a few steps towards us before stopping to place his bible on the closest pew.

"Indeed, they have. Who better experienced to oversee a war than one who survived one? Now, have you come here for a particular reason? Or just to insult a humble priest?" _"Humble". Yeah, right._

"I'm just here to see what your goal is. I know your heart, Kirei Kotomine. There's no way you'd standby and not interfere in this war." My words don't seem to reach him, and he just maintains his blank expression, undeterred.

"Is it so hard to believe I am merely overseeing the war, no more no less? It isn't as if I can control whether or not the church assigns me this role." I furrow my brows at him, not believing his words for a second.

"Is that right? Nothing stopped you from using underhanded tactics and playing dirty in the last war. What changed since then?" This time he seems slightly unnerved by my words, but quickly covers it with a smile.

"I'll admit, with victory fogging my vision I may have acted a bit… uncouth, but I was a master back then. Much as your husband was and much as his methods were also." I grow angered at his casual mentioning of Kiritsugu and try to think of how to respond, but not knowing what to say. _I don't have any proof he's planning to interfere, I'm just basing off of past experience._ The priest walks away from us and picks his bible up again, before returning to his spot at the base of the altar, his back turned to us as it was when we first entered. "However, if you're so certain that I am planning something, simply win the grail and use it for whatever you want. I can't cause any trouble if you beat me to it, now can I?" Once again, I think of how to respond, but stop myself. Instead of answering the priest, I turn and begin walking out of the building.

"Irisviel, wait!" I hear Rin call out to me. "Why do you have to be such a snide ass, Kirei?" I hear her shout before quickly following me out the door.

Once outside, Saber walks up to us with worry painted across her face. "Irisviel, are you alright? You seem a bit shaken." I smile at Saber's concern for me and nod.

"I'm fine, Saber. I just wasn't expecting to get so angry when I saw that man's stupid face again." Saber sighs in relief and Rin laughs a little.

"I feel you, Miss Irisviel. He definitely has a very punchable face." I return a little laugh to Rin, feeling a bit calmer and more reassured at seeing her apparently not having any pleasant feelings towards the man. _I think she may actually be someone we can trust…_ After glancing back one more time at the old church I turn and begin walking away.

"Come on, let us return home." Feeling worried sick about Shirou, I didn't want to waste anymore time away. I'm stopped by a heavy hand being placed on my shoulder. I turn to see Saber wearing her serious, stoic expression.

"Irisviel. Does this mean you will…?" I nod at Saber. _While Shirou's safety will always be what is most important to me, I feel in my heart that staying until I know for certain Kirei Kotomine's intentions is what I should do. It's… what Kiritsugu would have wanted._

"Yes, Saber. I will fight."

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

The bulky monster has almost reached the illumination of the street lamp his master rests under when he brandishes the gargantuan blade once in the air, with no apparent effort. I remember what happened the last time I tried to run from one of these and decide the only sliver of a chance I had would be to face him.

 _I will fight._

When I firmly state these words within me, I feel courage ignite in my soul and envelop me. I bite the fear wrapped around me by the head and swallow it, locking it away inside of me. My uneven breathing steadies, my hands cease to tremor, my rapid heartbeat slows to a normal pace.

I glare at the child, channeling my newfound valor into anger. Her smile falters and she looks taken aback by the level-headed, defensive stance I've taken towards the pair.

"You would sick your behemoth on an unarmed man who's clearly outmatched?" I ask her simply. She becomes even more dumbfounded by my question and matches my glare with a slight one of her own.

"But of course, I would. Do you think this is some kind of honor-bound duel? I came here to reclaim you as a trophy you idiot. Fairness and difference in power mean nothing to me. Power is meaningless in the face of Berserker, the strongest servant." I can't help but snicker at her proclamation. "Do you find something funny?" She asks as her expression evolves into an even angrier one and her tone becomes as hostile and defensive as my own.

"I do, yes. You claim your servant to be the strongest… when even I am certain death could easily befall him by my own two hands, given I had my proper armaments with me. Simply put, it's absolutely hilarious to me to see a little child showing off her toy thinking it is the hottest of shit when in reality it's a second-rate tool being implemented on another who was ambushed without anything to defend himself with. Very much like an idiotic mutt killing a cobra that'd been defanged and continuing to live its life in ignorance, thinking it accomplished something worthwhile, until the day it inevitably encounters its next viper and gets bit all over, ultimately dying convulsing in its own vomit and defecation." Every word I spat out with contempt. Every word carried with it 100% sincerity and truth from the bottom of my heart.

The child's face had continuously grown infuriated as I spoke when suddenly her expression became neutral and she closed her eyes. When she opens them, they weren't vibrant and emotional as they had been throughout our entire encounter, but instead blank and deadpan with pinpoint pupils. I pull my left hand from my pocket and reach behind me under my coat, wrapping my hand around the handle of the crossbow and resting my finger on the trigger.

"Nevermind. Kill him. Berserker."

She gives the command to her servant in a monotone voice right when his features were about to be illuminated by the light above her. Instead of taking his last step forward into the spotlight, he bellows out an ear raking roar.

"▂▂▃▃▅▅!" Despite the vicious attack on my ears, I don't cover them or even flinch. Instead, I yank the crossbow down, ripping the attached belt loop off. I line it up with the monster just as his war cry ceases. All at once he lunges forward, leaping over his master's head and passing through the illumination from above for the briefest of moments. For the first time I see the face of the creature who'd been patiently waiting to rip into me. Glowing, bestial eyes, a mouth wrenched open baring sharp fangs, a head and jaw structure indicating that of a Neanderthal-esque man, and a long, flowing mane of hair reminiscent of a lion.

He's in the air above the street. I pull the trigger. The bolt flies swiftly towards him until it enters his reach, upon which he seamlessly swats it away with his blade. _He opts to deflect instead of dodge._

 _Good._

His feet grace the sidewalk on my side of the intersection. 5 bounds. 3 bounds. **2 bounds** until he reaches me. To wait only a fraction of a second longer. _I must draw his attack out. If I control when he swings at me, I control my fate within the next breath I take._ Envision yourself where you are now. Envision where you'll be in one second, two seconds, three seconds from now. Sharpen your mind to its finest point.

 _Now._

Before he even decides when and where he'll swing at me; before he even tenses his muscles in preparation to take that second swing, I hum the small weapon in my left hand at him, right above his waist. Instead of letting it smack into him, he once again swings to shatter it before it reaches.

Horizontal slice; angled downwards.

The distance from me when he swings at the crossbow is so short that it'd only be common sense to hit me as well in the breadth of that one swing. I didn't force him to shatter the crossbow so much as I forced him where to position that one swing he planned to kill me with. As soon as I threw it at him, I'd already taken a step forward and jumped towards him.

My legs curl up into a tuck on my abdomen. My hand reaches forward only inches away from his face. His blade occupies the space my thighs stood less than a second ago. I extend and straighten my legs while pressing my palm against his forehead.

My feet plant firmly on the flat of his stone sword and my fingers curl into the bangs of his hair. He carries out the rest of his mighty blow. The force slings me up and to his left. The strength of his hair can't resist the force of me being propelled backwards and the roots of the locks I have clutched tightly in my left hand give way and are plucked.

I fly above the street in the same arc he flew to approach me until I collide with the sidewalk behind the child and skid a short distance. I quickly rise to my feet and turn to look back at the space I had just occupied. The servant stood with his blade in the air above his left shoulder, where it stopped after the wide-sweeping attack. His pose was reminiscent of a baseball player who'd just hit a home run. My feet screamed in pain, it felt as though I just landed flat on them after jumping off a roof. The girl jerks her head to look at me, her eyes once again brimming with emotion; shock.

"How'd you-" Her question is cut short by the servant once again shrieking.

He runs in a wide semicircle across the street and to the sidewalk opposite of the one the girl and I stood on. Right when he reaches the point parallel from me, he jams his sword into the asphalt beneath and lunges at me, his blade dragging through the street and slicing through it violently. _If he swings from that angle, then he's going for an upper diagonal cut this time. He's not going to let me try and bait another attack out._

My mind races to decide my next move, but before I determine one, the young girl rushes in the street between the servant and me.

"Berserker, stop!" Upon her command, her hair billows upward slightly as her body is graced briefly with runic, red symbols. They glow vibrantly as Berserker rushes forward until his body comes to a dead stop, causing a shallow gust of wind to blow past me and the girl and little specks of the decimated street to pelt me on the chest. He once again stood as still as a statue, but now with his enraged expression still as lively as can be.

"Why'd you?" I begin to question the girl's motives as the glow ceases and the marks on her body fade. She turns to face me and reveals the strangest mixture of embarrassment and anger I've ever seen on someone's face.

"B-Be grateful you dummy! I went so far as to use one of my precious command seals on him, so he wouldn't kill you. You won't get such a blessing again!" She straightens her hair out with her hands before walking up and gently patting the motionless Berserker on the side of his face in a soothing manner.

"But… why?" I couldn't figure why someone so hell bent on killing me suddenly had a drastic change of heart. Her face loses any trace of embarrassment and turns serious.

"I decided there was some merit to what you said. No normal human can dodge Berserkers full-on charge, not even once. I guess you could say, I want to see this cobra when he gets his fangs back…" My formerly held stance on the girl softens a bit and I feel a little glimmer of hope for her spark inside me. "You have to be fully confident in yourself when I take you down. Only when all your preconceived notions and beliefs are collectively shattered in a single moment will I feel truly ecstatic in claiming you as my trophy." And just like that, the glimmer is extinguished. "It wouldn't even compare to that feeling if I let Berserker kill you just now when you were so serious and cool." _Wait, "cool"?_

I start to question her choice of words but stop when she jumps up and grabs on to Berserker's right shoulder. I watch her struggle for a moment until she finally crawls up and sits comfortably on the broad shoulder.

"C'mon Berserker!" She cheerfully shouts. Like a machine, the servant straightens out and walks away before crouching down and jumping upwards into the night sky. I watch the dark figure take a few bounds into the distance until I can't make him out in the darkness anymore. _They sure can jump high…_

I groan as I fall ungracefully onto my rear atop the sidewalk and lean against the broken street light. _How can someone go from making a horrifying face like that and commanding their little Goliath companion to kill me to basically saving me and acting like an aloof child again?_ The bipolar mannerisms of the strange girl continue to haunt me as I try not to think about my aching feet. I realize I didn't ask her what her relationship to Irisviel is this time and begin to ponder once again how the two are connected.

I look down at my left hand which still clutched the locks I ripped from Berserker's head. _But did the girl really save me though?_ I think back to what I said when I was possessed by that sudden burst of bravery; _even I am certain death could easily befall him by my own two hands, given I had my proper armaments with me._ It sounds like a bluff meant to unnerve an opponent and cause a tactical error, but when I said it I believed it with all my heart. _So strange, even though this servant seemed far stronger than Lancer, I knew it was possible for me to beat him._ Maybe it was a near-death misconception, but even now I still feel confident in my chances against him. _It's a good thing too. I doubt it will be long before the girl makes another move on me._ As I tentatively remove my shoes to rub my sore feet, I hear the bulb above me crackle and a halo of light falls on me. I sigh. "You made things unnecessarily more suspenseful tonight than they needed to be, buddy."


	9. Chapter 9

The schoolyard remains as desolate as it'd been hours earlier when I lost my life. I take my time making my way around the yard and to the other side of the building to retrieve my belongings, continuously checking my surroundings. _Can't be too safe anymore; those freaks are showing up everywhere I turn._

Once I arrive to the corner I dropped my bag at, I begin to look around and see where it's at. Soon the looking evolves to walking around and searching, then to frantically running back and forth along the corner and looking at every inch of the surrounding area. _No, no, no, no, no!_ "Where is it?!" I shout out, as if asking an invisible presence to give me its location. _It should be here, could someone have taken it?_ I decide to retrace my steps, feeling as though I may have simply left it back in the archery range.

After jogging up to the large doors leading into the range, I anxiously open the door. Lo and behold, in the middle of the glossy, wooden flooring, is my bag. I exhale the biggest sigh of relief I've had throughout this entire, bat-shit crazy night. As I stroll towards the bag, I think of how weird it is of me that reclaiming the old arrow made me feel more at ease than coming back to life. _Strange though, I could've sworn I dropped my bag outside when I ran from Lancer…_ After picking up the bag, I notice the latches on it are undone. I nervously open up and look inside… to see the arrow isn't there.

Phone, wallet, notebooks, pencil case, but no arrow. Seconds before I begin flipping shit, I hear a little chuckle to my right on the other end of the room, in a familiar, annoying tone. I snap my head towards the childish giggling to see Archer sitting on the overturned bucket of dirty floor water that was now formed into a puddle atop the floor beneath him. In the roof goblin's right hand rested my arrow, held between two of his fingers as if it was a cigar.

"Looking for this?" He holds the arrow out towards me and I drop the bag I'm holding before blitzing over to him, sole intention to bludgeon him upside the head. I cock my arm back to swing at him, but before I can, he effortlessly jumps up and over my head like a kangaroo. "Woah calm down fella."

"Give it back!" I shout out while turning to face him, feeling embarrassed at how whiny and childish my command sounded. He once again giggles while maintaining his smug expression before raising the arrow up to his face and inspecting the tip of it.

"What a weird little piece of junk. The shaft looks like a scraggly twig, the feather is frayed and almost withered away, and- is the arrowhead… just an old knife messily tied to the end?" I quickly swipe at the arrow with my casted right arm, but he pulls the hand it's in back before I can nab it. I then come at him with my opposite hand to punch his annoying mug, but he carelessly backsteps and twirls away.

"What it's made of is none of your concern, now stop prancing around so I can get it back and crack your skull open!" He continues laughing at my vain attempts to reclaim it.

"Simply take it from me if you want it that badly." While I begin considering my options on how I can get it back from the irritating man, I notice his playful expression melt away and he begins staring at the arrow much more intently. Without saying anything, he reaches up with his other hand and wraps it around the opposite end of the arrow. I feel my restraint shatter when I witness his hands tense and tighten like a vice as he bends them down to try and snap the arrow.

"Cut the shit!" I lunge at him and swat my hand down to knock the arrow out of his hands. Surprisingly, he makes no move to dodge and instead remains still as it's slapped out of his hands. I waste no time clambering onto the floor and reclaiming my belonging. I protectively shield it beneath my arm and rise to my feet to face him.

"Strange…" He states, breaking the silence. "It's pretty resistant for a piece of junk. I'm surprised I couldn't break it." Normally I'd fight the jerk tooth and nail after dealing with all his shenanigans tonight, but after all the tiresome events and after finally having my little treasure back safe and sound, I couldn't care less about him.

"Yeah, might be strange to you, but it figures to me that a little pansy such as yourself couldn't snap a 'twig' in two." My spiteful response doesn't seem to affect him as he stares at his hands for a moment longer before scoffing and walking past me. I eagerly watch him walk towards and out the door to the range, smiling when he finally leaves. _Good riddance…_ Turning back to where he sat moments ago, I once again see the puddle he left from dumping the bucket and turning it into a seat. _Now I have to clean up the mess he made… I hate him, so much._

Once the floor had been made spotless, _again_ , I quickly grab my bag and double check to make sure the arrow is tucked safely inside. After ascertaining its safety, I quickly make my way out of the range. _I need to hurry home; I may still be able to make it back before Irisviel and the others do, which will make things go over so much easier than having to explain why I was gone._ Once outside, my mouth instinctually downturns into a frown when I see Archer leaning against the outer wall of the building, patiently waiting for me.

"Oh, you're still here? Greeaaaat." After closing the door, I walk away from the building, _and_ the asshole leaning against it. It doesn't take long for me to hear his footsteps treading dutifully behind me. I sigh. "Why are you still lingering around here? In fact, why were you even here to begin with? Weren't you supposed to go with your master and the others?"

"I received no such command from Rin, so I assumed I was free to do as please. I figured seeing what you were up to would be more interesting than following them, especially since they already had a servant accompanying them. As for why I stuck around after exiting the range, I had some more questions for you… and I knew if I stayed inside you'd make me help you clean up the mess." _This bastard…_

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't want to make the poor little heroic spirit have to use a mop." After walking out of the schoolyard and onto the street, I notice the faulty street lamp was out again. _Stupid lamp._ Once I walk past the spot the little girl stood when she made an attempt on my life earlier, I glance at the giant gash the monster caused in the street with his sword and a realization dawns upon me. "Archer?"

"Yes?"

"You said you 'followed' me here, correct?"

"Correct."

"Which means you watched me almost get killed by the brolic caveman and his Irisviel plushie, right?" I hear a muffled giggle behind me.

"From a safe distance, yes."

"Why the hell didn't you do anything?!" I turn on my heel to face him and angrily prod for an explanation.

"Well, last time I checked, you aren't my master. Besides, it looked like you had everything under control."

"Mhm, well what if he had cleaved me in two when he swung at me?" He ponders the question for a moment.

"Who's to say I wouldn't have swooped in and swept you off your feet a nanosecond before the blade permanently divided you?" I groan in annoyance and turn back to quickly walking home, with an even faster pace than before, not appreciating the sarcasm of the heroic spirit.

As the distance from home grew shorter and shorter, so did the distance from the man behind me. It felt like a horror movie as the footsteps drew closer and closer as I walked on. No matter how much I picked up the pace, I couldn't lengthen the space between us. Once I had unknowingly began jogging to try and ditch the guy, I decide enough is enough. "Archer, is there any reason you have to stalk me so closely? I can practically feel you breathing down my neck."

"Oh? I hadn't noticed I was too close for your liking. I'm simply trying to get a read on you." _A read on me? What the hell does that mean…_

"Well, can you please 'get a read' on me from about thirty more paces back? You're seriously invading my personal space." He doesn't say anything but does heed and lag behind a few more steps. As we walk past one of the last few blocks before the house, I hear him speak up.

"So, are you gonna tell me what the deal with the 'arrow' is?" I frown again, not really wanting to engage in any chatter more than necessary with the guy.

"Why? What makes you so interested in it?" I stop for a moment to talk, mostly because my sore feet are a little tired and could use a break.

"It's just intriguing to me. Despite looking like a rod of garbage, it's surprisingly sturdy. And I-… I can't get a good sense for it." His description of my humble, makeshift arrow confused me.

"I don't know what to tell you, but I suppose it _is_ pretty sturdy. I haven't really thought about it, but despite crudely being assembled together, it's held together for all these years." He looks a little surprised when I indicate the span of time I've had it for.

"Really? 'Years' is it?" I nod.

"I've had it basically as long as I've been with Irisviel. It may not look like much, but don't underestimate it; it's never let me down. But even more than its usefulness, its sentiment is what makes it so important to me." I place my hand on the side of my bag and fondly rub the spot the arrow lied beneath.

"Its sentiment? And what sentiment exactly does it hold?" I turn back towards the direction of the house and answer him as vaguely as possible, not wanting to crack open the tale of my treasure to someone, especially someone like him, just yet.

"It's a symbol of something to me." With that, I walk away from the conversation. As I walk home, I notice his footsteps no longer sounded off from behind me, indicating he ceased to follow. _Must've finally sated all his questions._

Once inside the house, I surmise I must've beat the others home indicated by the light in the kitchen still being off. Feeling relieved about this, I maneuver around the house to drop my bag off in my room, hang my coat back up, and return to the kitchen to put a pot of tea on. Just as I lower myself down to sit at the table and finally relax a little, I hear the front door open. I sigh. _No rest for the weary…_

I lie down on my back atop the dining room floor and wait while listening to the chatter between the women and the rustling as they remove their coats and shoes in the hallway. Not long after, I hear rapid footsteps and glance at the doorway in time to see Irisviel pounce in and survey the room until her eyes finally lock onto me. "Shirou!" I recoil instinctively at her cheerily exclaiming my name and jumping onto me. The wind gets knocked out of me from her dead-falling onto me and my face gets smothered by her chest.

"MM! Irisviel get- get off!" I gently push up on her to try and overturn her, but she retaliates by wrapping my head in a bear hug, shoving my face deeper into her rack. As I lay suffocating, my right eye catches a glimpse of our three guests over Irisviel's shoulder, standing in the doorway and looking at me judgingly. Before their opinion on our relationship could get anymore twisted, I wiggle and slither out of Irisviel's grip with all my strength and quickly crawl away and beneath the table to escape her.

"Shirouuu! Come out from under there, I just want to cuddle a little!" I don't budge from my cover. I hear Tohsaka groan in annoyance.

"Miss Irisviel, I don't think now is the right time to be playing around. We still need to decide our move from here." I poke my head out from under the table and crawl out completely before retaking my seat after seeing Irisviel looking much more serious now.

"You're right, Rin" she agrees "let's wrap this troublesome night up once and for all so that we may move forward."

I look at the other three sitting with me at the table in slight disappointment as they contently sip on the tea I had put on right before they got back. I'm currently waiting for my cup from the new pot I just put on. _They didn't even ask if I wanted a cup; Tohsaka just nonchalantly picked it up and poured each of them one, excluding me._ I look at the doorway to the dining room to see Archer casually leaning against the frame with his eyes closed. _Not that I care if he gets some or not, but she didn't even offer her own servant any…_ Irisviel is the first to break the steady ambience of the three sipping away.

"Shirou, did anything happen while we were away? No one else came here or attacked the house, right?" I wonder about how to answer her, seeing as how I didn't even stick around to see if someone did or not. I glance at Archer who's now looking at me expectantly.

"No, I don't believe so. And if someone did come here, they didn't come inside or bother me." She smiles pleasantly at my comforting lie, most likely being relieved that the three of them leaving me alone didn't result in a travesty. _I can share that relief._ I hear Archer scoff in annoyance and turn to see him walking away and into the hallway. Rin looks into the hallway with irritation and confusion apparent on her face.

"Archer, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to go play lookout some more; you don't care, right?" He shouts back. I swear I hear her lightly growl before turning her attention back to her tea.

"Do whatever you want, I don't care!" He doesn't say anything more, and soon his footsteps cease as he exits the house. "Why did I have to summon a servant as temperamental and hard-headed as him? If only I'd summoned Saber, this war would've been as good as done." I ignore the girl's whining and stare up at the ceiling. _I bet he's back up on the roof right now…_ I recall my run-in with that little girl and her servant and wonder if Irisviel encountered a similar problem on her trek.

"Did you guys run into any trouble while you were out?" I casually ask after Tohsaka's griping and complaining died down. Irisviel shakes her head.

"Not at all. Unless you count having to see someone you hate as 'trouble'." My thoughts immediately jump to the guy who tried to assault Irisviel back then, but I suppress my anger after realizing she must be talking about the church guy.

"That's good." I reply simply.

"Good indeed." Tohsaka adds. "If we'd known there'd be no servants encountered on the trip, we would've had no problem bringing you along. However, better to be safe than sorry. You'd just be hurting yourself and us if we ran into one with you in tow." As she talks all high and mighty, the daunting scene of what happened just a little while ago replays in my head.

"Oh yeah?" I don't argue, knowing from experience that she's just spouting out a bunch of nonsense. Instead I just humor her while Irisviel meekly tries to defend me.

When I finally filled my own hands with a cup of hot tea, the serious conversation had already begun. The three gave me a general explanation of what exactly was going on; 7 servants/masters, fighting to win the Holy Grail that grants a wish, the different classes of servants, mages and magecraft, etc. They didn't explain any of the confusing terms, just skimmed over what we were basically involved in now.

"So, what makes me worthy of understanding the situation all of a sudden?" My question held a bit of contempt as I'd been feeling pretty left out and neglected up till this point.

"I was planning on telling you eventually no matter what, it's just now is the only opportune moment I've had so far." Irisviel quickly reassures me she didn't intend to keep me ignorant.

"You're actually taking all of this pretty well, Emiya. People usually have a hard time accepting all of this when it's dropped on them out of nowhere." Tohsaka's praise did little to elate my mood.

"I'm not necessarily taking it well; it's more of just me playing by ear." She didn't seem too happy that I deflected her compliment.

"Whatever then. Anyways, Irisviel and Saber, I propose we form an alliance for this war." Saber dons a pleased grin and nods, indicating she agreed with the proposal and Irisviel tilts her head as though she's confused by the premise.

"I'm not against it, Rin, but are you sure you'd want to team up with us? We're kind of late to the party and we're by no means prepared." Tohsaka looks shocked by her question.

"Are you kidding me? Unless I'm mistaken, you yourself have no wish for the Grail, right Irisviel? You simply want to win to prevent Kirei from pulling any stunts. Any master would be crazy to not lunge at the prospect of teaming up with you. I'd basically have two servants and a mage under my control!" As her eyes glimmer with excitement I frown at her in disgust for using the term "control" in regard to Irisviel. Saber's pleased grin didn't look all too pleased anymore either.

"Hold up, Rin. Irisviel may have no wish for the Grail, but I'd implore you to remember that I myself do however." Despite having a wrench thrown into her operations, Tohsaka still looked as though she is brimming with excitement.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll hammer out all the fine details for later. For now, just know that teaming up is in both of our best interests. Your chances of extinguishing any plans Kirei may or may not have and my chances of attaining the Grail are both drastically increased this way. Deal?" Tohsaka reaches her hand across the table towards Irisviel, prodding her to shake on it. _That's the second time she's said "Kirei", I suppose that's the name of the man from the church._ Irisviel looks warily at the hand and then looks to me with an expression that said, "now what?".

"It's your choice, Irisviel. Whatever you choose I'll agree to. Personally though, I don't think we really need the redcoats on our side to win this thing." Tohsaka glares at me.

"Stay out of this Emiya!" Irisviel laughs at our bickering and reaches forward to gently wrap her hands around Tohsaka's.

"May our victory be a swift and effortless one!" Irisviel beams with joy at the new team that's been established and Tohsaka returns just as much excitement. _Though I have a hunch it's her taking into account her bolstered chances of winning as opposed to Irisviel, who's just giddy she has a new friend._

"Now then," Tohsaka starts while removing her hand from Irisviel's "we need to make a rough idea of what our next move will be. I suggest getting intel on who Caster is will be of the upmost-"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey. No." I interject. Tohsaka looks at me coldly, her eyes practically having painted the words "what do you want now" across them. "You must be stupid if you think we're going to start forming our strategy right now. We've all been up all night. Daylight is going to break in just a couple of hours. It's waaaay past Irisviel's bedtime." I wait patiently for Irisviel to pout and protest like a little kid while Tohsaka stammers in disbelief at me calling her stupid. After Irisviel's whining never comes, I look at her to see she was already passed out on the table. _It hasn't even been a minute since she formed an alliance!_ I look knowingly at Tohsaka. "You see?" She looks like she wants to protest but holds her tongue.

"Whatever then, go sleep. However, I'm going to be staying here tonight, because as soon as she wakes up, I want to immediately get down to business." _Who does she think she is?_

"Ok fine, you can stay. I have a nice towel and pile of dirty laundry in the washing room that'd be perfect for you." I turn my attention away from the fuming girl and begin to pick Irisviel up bridal style to go help her to bed. Saber catches my attention as I lift Irisviel up. She'd been sitting a bit further away from the table than us, and other than conversing about our involvement in the war, remained silent throughout our talks. Her eyes are closed almost as if she's meditating. The peculiar servant occupies my thoughts as I walk out of the room while Tohsaka barks at me to not ignore her when she's talking to me.

 _You're really passed out, huh?_ Despite not being careful or graceful picking her up and carrying her to the bathroom, Irisviel hadn't so much as stirred from her slumber. _Then again, she's always slept a lot, ever since I've known her. And she almost never stays up so late._ I gently set the lid down on the toilet and seat her on top of it, keeping my left arm wrapped around her for support. "Hey, Irisviel, c'mon. I need you to brush your teeth before I bring you to bed."

"Mmm…" Other than a soft hum, she doesn't give any indication of waking up. I shake her softly. She scrunches her face up in discontent before scooching closer to me. I sigh.

"I swear, you're so spoiled." After seeing she wasn't going to comply, I stretch my arm to reach up to the cabinet hanging over the sink and grab her toothbrush and toothpaste. After much struggling from only being able to use one hand, my splinted hand at that, I finally have it readied with toothpaste for use. I then turn my attention back to sleeping beauty and frown. "Uhh… open sesame?" Almost immediately, she unhinges her mouth.

"Ahhhh…" _You… You're not even asleep._ I felt profusely embarrassed but decided to play along and begin gently scrubbing her upper and lower teeth awkwardly with the brush. The ordeal was more humiliating and took much longer than necessary, but I finally finished after scrubbing every nook and cranny. I fill up the little cup on the sink with water and hold it up to her lips. She sips it into her mouth and swishes it around for a bit before holding it in her cheeks, puffed up like a balloon. I wait for a moment, but she takes no move to spit it out. I frown at her.

"Irisviel, spit it out." She pretends not to hear me. I groan and resume the bridal style carrying, lifting her up and over the sink while carefully keeping her hair held together and back in my left hand so it wouldn't be in the way. Once over the sink she quickly spits the water back into the sink before snuggling up into my arms. "Why do you always have to be such a handful…" I turn the faucet on and wash the foamy residue down the drain before turning to finally exit the bathroom. I'm greeted with the faces of the other two women, peeking into the bathroom from the left of the doorway, who had apparently followed me and watched who knows how much of what I just did.

"Don't mind us, Emiya." Tohsaka calmly states. She holds a devilish grin while Saber just looks amazed and in wonder at the lengths I just took to get Irisviel ready for bed. I don't say anything and instead blush profusely while walking past them and quickly down the hallway to Irisviel's room.

Once in the room, I make sure to close the door this time to prevent any unwanted peeking. I walk to her bed and pull the covers down before sliding her underneath and pulling the covers back up over her. I quickly tuck her in and notice afterwards that her lips are puckered as though she was waiting for a kiss. "Goodnight, Irisviel." I sternly state in slight irritation. She opens her right eyelid slightly to glance at me and then quickly closes it, puckering her lips up even harder.

"Shirou _zzz_ give _zz_ goodnight *yawn* kiss." I couldn't decide if I found the fake snoring and yawn adorable or if it just annoyed me even more. I walk up to her nightstand and open it to dig around and find her night mask. After retrieving it, I place it on top of her mouth, earning an instant eyebrow furrow from her.

"You've been pampered enough tonight, Irisviel. Get some sleep, tomorrow doesn't seem like it's going to be any fun; don't need you trudging around like an exhausted zombie on top of that." She promptly shoots a quick puff of air from her mouth to blow the night mask off her face, revealing her pouty frown.

"You're no fun Shirou." With that, she pulls the covers up and over her head and burrows down into her blanket den. I turn and walk to the door, laughing a little at her antics. _Despite all this crazy shit… Irisviel's still Irisviel. I'd say tonight turned out alright._ I simultaneously flick the light off and open the door to surprisingly see the two nosy women weren't eavesdropping. After closing the bedroom door, I glance down the hall to see the kitchen doorway, the light still on within. _I guess they went back there._ I then look to the branching hall that connects to the section with the shattered windows and door that leads to the backyard. _Hmm… Do I go talk some more with the two moody girls or do I go immerse myself in solitude with my bows._ As I ponder my options, I find that I'd already begun walking towards the backyard.

I walk to the corner where my woolen blanket along with my precious woods lay clumped up in a mess. I pull it back near the center of the shed where it was before, near the new demonic circle. After unraveling it I feel sorrow well up in me at what I discover. It seems Irisviel unintentionally snapped one of the rough limbs I'd sanded out from the yew wood when she came in here and shoved everything to the sides. I can't let myself be upset with her, knowing how hectic that situation was; it's not like she knew it was important compared to all the other pieces in here. More than anything, I'm more disappointed in myself than before, now seeing no feasible way I could turn the parts into a bow. My hopes are effectively shattered.

"So, I hear we're allies now." I couldn't even bring myself to become annoyed at the appearance of Archer behind me. I'm far too tired and depressed to care right now. "Or at least, for the time being." He continues on while walking closer until he stands next to me.

I murmur out a hum in response while looking over the wood pieces on the blanket. He crouches down onto his knees to match me and also copies me in looking at the wood. "Normally you'd have a sharp remark to hit me with. You must've warmed up to me." I frown.

"Yeah, must've." I respond sarcastically. We sit in silence for a moment longer before Archer decides to continue.

"Why didn't you tell her?" I look at him in confusion, not knowing what he's referring to. "Irisviel. Why didn't you tell her about your run-in with the girl?" _Oh that…_ I think about my reason, not quite sure why I didn't myself.

"I guess I just didn't want them to know I left the house after they'd told me not to." He reaches down to pick up the chunk of oak wood and inspects it while I respond. I don't bother telling him to not touch anything.

"Don't you think her knowing about it is more important? I mean, did you not get a clear enough view of the girl? She's practically a photo copy of Irisviel; they're obviously related. Probably her daughter, or younger sister." I groan in annoyance, not really wanting to talk but instead be left alone.

"Look, Archer, it's clear to me they're related in some way, but there's also not a doubt in my mind that Irisviel must know about her and know even more about her involvement than I do. For whatever reason, she's not telling me about this girl's existence. So, until she decides to tell me about the existence of her and their history together, I'm just going to continue on playing ignorant and assuming there's no relationship between them." _Yes, she'd tell me if I needed to know. She wouldn't bury that history without a reason._

"I see then… If that's the way you want to look at it." My mind becomes possessed with thoughts of the girl and her servant while Archer continues to alternate between the pieces of wood on the blanket. "Speaking of that little girl, I'd like to ask you how you managed to evade her servant's attack." Unlike his previous question, this one didn't bother me. Because I'd love to know that answer myself.

"I don't know I just… did. My mind told my body to move a certain way and it carried out the command. Simple as that." He laughs.

"Yeah, when you say it like that it does sound simple. But if you saw it from my perspective, it'd be a bit more complicated than that. You rode his sword like a surfboard." It _did_ seem a bit more bizarre when he stated it like that, but I dismissed the thought.

"If you say so." After inspecting all the wood pieces, he stood up to his feet.

"And? What's the story with the decrepit wood?"

"Oh, you know. I stole it from a bunch of historical tree landmarks to make the perfect bow and wasn't smart enough to think it'd be too old and brittle. Now, on top of that, half of it is broken so it can't even become a bow for aesthetics instead of firing." I watch him walk away from me and the wood pieces and to the rack of bows on the wall across the shed.

"I see. Yes, I agree. You aren't very smart." Instead of getting angry, I just laugh and subconsciously agree with him. "Which of these bows would you consider your favorite?" He peers at each individual bow carefully, tracing his finger atop them in a manner similar to how I always do, while asking. I watch his movements in confusion while debating which I'd have to choose. I point to the recurve I always shoot when I practice at home.

"It'd have to be that one, I guess." As soon as I give him my answer, he removes it from the rack and rejoins me on the floor next to the pieces of wood. He straightens out the woolen blanket and spreads the wood pieces to the corners before placing the bow in the middle between them.

"Well then, pardon me." He spreads his hands open above the objects, palms facing down, and slowly lowers them till they rest on top of them. "Trace, on." Once he utters the weird phrase, a jagged, winding pattern branches out across the bow and various pieces of wood. I watch in surprise, not knowing what to make of it, as the pattern envelops all of the objects and remains printed onto them for a while. Eventually, the pattern emits a bright, almost blinding glow, and the objects become iridescent, malleable blobs before converging together in the center of the blanket. I squint at the light and look up at Archer's face to see it filled with concentration. Once the masses converge, it retakes the shape of the bow and the light finally subsides.

"What did you… do?" What I'd first thought was the bow returned to its original shape, was actually a new recurve bow that looked entirely different. The limbs are thicker, more curved, and rounder on the edges than before, as well as having a spiral, swirl pattern winding from the tips all the way to the center. The riser in the middle is now a design unlike one I've seen before and is a shade darker, matching the heartwood of the Major Oak.

"It's a gift, in honor of our new alliance. Rin told me you're really obsessed with archery. And, if you're going to go around shooting that piece of junk at people, you should at least use a half-decent bow when you do it. And don't worry, it has all your precious stolen wood chunks incorporated into it." I tentatively wrap my hand around the grip and lift it up, surprised by the heft it had compared to my older version. _Yeah… this feels right._ Unknowingly, the glum expression I had became replaced with an ecstatic grin.

"Well who would've guessed… An archer who can make bows. Aren't you cool." He returns the smile after my remark and stands to his feet.

"There's the smartass comment I came for. I'm sure you'll like it; the design I based it off of is top-of-the-line, trust me." As he walks out the door, his figure fades away until he vanishes completely. _I bet he thought he looked so cool walking out like that after pulling this stunt…_ I can hardly hold myself back from grabbing a quiver and running outside to give it a whirl, but I stop myself when an interesting idea crosses my mind. I stand to my feet and reach into my pocket to pull out what I had stuffed in there. I then walk towards my workbench with my bow in one hand and the clump of Berserker's long locks in the other.

It only took me a few minutes to knot the wiry hair that felt as tough as steel into a short braid. After doing so, I wrap the strands around the part where the lower limb of the bow meets the riser and do a cross tie before cementing it on with some wood glue, so it wouldn't fall off. I tug the cord of the overhead light above the workbench to illuminate the new adornment. The trophy really fit the look of the bow and just seemed natural. I feel pleased with the final product and begin imagining what a kick it'll be if I run into those two again and they see what I've done with his hair. After the glue finishes setting and dries up, I waste no time grabbing a quiver off the rack and exiting into the yard to try my new toy out. _It'll be a bit awkward with this splint on, but I'll work around it._

Once outside, I feel both pleased and disappointed to see the sky beginning to lighten and streaks of sunlight pouring up from the horizon in the distance, indicating morning had arrived. The natural light would be better for shooting, but it also signified I'd lost another night and didn't get any sleep. _Doesn't matter, I'll sleep when I'm dead._ I turn towards the target and begin walking towards it. With the bow of my dreams in my hand and the light of a new day warming my back, the danger and knowledge of the approaching conflict didn't scare me, and the safety of Irisviel didn't concern me. _So long as I have arrows to spare, a bow to shoot them, and a body to do so with, nothing can obstruct me. So, come, Holy Grail War. Hit me with everything you have._


	10. Chapter 10

I wrap my fingers around the string of the bow, after awkwardly adjusting my splint, and give it a test draw to see the weight behind it. I pull my fingers back, but it doesn't budge. I push forward on the grip with my left arm as hard as I can and tug back on the string with all my strength, and I barely manage to pull a full draw. My fingers give out and the recoil of the string snapping in place echoes up my left arm while I exhale from the exertion.

 _How tight is this string!? Why are the limbs suddenly super sturdy?_ I begin to get pissed at Archer for not only wasting the wood but also ruining my favorite bow, when I realize what his intentions must've been. _If I had to guess, this must be however much tautness he has on the bow he uses._ Whether it be intentional or not, he matched this bow's draw weight to his preferred amount.

I look up at the roof to see it empty and void of his presence. Even so, I feel he must be up there in his dissipated form, watching me. _Is it a test? A joke? A threat?_ While I couldn't discern his intention behind it, one thing I knew was that I wouldn't come in second place when it came to archery.

I quickly hoist the bow up and grab an arrow, knocking the bow while assuming the position to fire at the target. _Not only will I take on his challenge, but I'll… excel at it!_ After thoroughly convincing myself I am more than capable of easily shooting this bow, I take the shot.

The string gets yanked back at full length, in compliance with my tug, with no resistance and the limbs bend to the point they almost look like they'll snap. I panic and let go. The bow recoils back into shape, swiftly spitting out the arrow. I regain my bearings in time to see the arrow collide into one of the outermost rings, a result of me choking at the end of the draw, and then forcefully knock the target over.

I stand still for a moment, gazing at the toppled over target, in a mixture of awe and shock. I pull my gaze and affix it to the bow in my lowered left hand. Soon my disbelief transforms into vigor and excitement, and I find myself running to the target to retrieve the arrow and set it back up.

Once I returned to my firing spot, I take another shot, making sure to not fully draw it this time so the target wouldn't knock over. Just as easily as before, the bow complies and the arrow fires, albeit much more accurately this time, hitting almost bullseye. Then I shoot another, and another, and another. Once the quiver was empty, I rush back to the target to refill it and resume shooting. I get possessed by a frenzy and begin firing off in a haze, enraptured by the ecstasy of it. As though I'm addicted, I continue shooting, having no other thoughts occupy my mind.

I pull back the string to shoot the next arrow but stop when I feel a weight fall from the arm holding the knocked arrow back. I look down to see the makeshift splint had unraveled and fallen off from me jerking the arm around so much. _Wait I… wasn't supposed to take that off until Irisviel gave me the ok._ My senses return to me and I look down at my hands to see they had become chaffed and red, with a few spots swelling up indicating blisters.

I tentatively set the euphoric bow down on the grass and lower myself to my knees, so I could try to reattach the cast. While struggling to press the two wooden planks to either side of the arm and retie the cloth with only one hand, I look around at my surroundings. The poor target had been torn up pretty bad, fraying and splitting in a few spots. _It's pretty new too. I hate to have to replace it so soon…_ The sun had also risen significantly into the sky, indicating I'd been shooting for at least an hour.

"I was just going to give it a few test shots…" _What came over me?_ I quietly question my own actions while tying the bandage and occasionally glancing at the bow. _Even though I could barely pull the string the first time, I had no trouble the second, third, fourth- fiftieth time attempting it. Not only that, but even though my hands are a little sore, I don't even feel winded from doing it._

Once the cast is messily back in place, I stand up, leaving the bow in the grass out of fear of becoming drunk off touching it again. I walk towards the house, in a slight haste in case Irisviel was awake by now, and notice Archer was still nowhere to be seen atop the roof. Even so, I feel as though a leering gaze is affixed onto me as I walk across the backyard, telling me he is there.

After checking on Irisviel and seeing she was still contently snoozing away, curled up under her blanket fort, I return to my room to find… this. _I wanted to get some sleep in, dammit._ Lying on top of my futon, entangled messily with the blankets, is Tohsaka.

"Didn't I tell you to sleep in the laundry room?" I question her sarcastically while tiptoeing around her to retrieve my lucky arrow from my bag. After grabbing it, I look at her again while taking my leave. She has my pillow in a chokehold and the top of it has a wet spot from, assumedly, her drool. Her skirt is unzipped and about 4 inches lower than it is supposed to be, revealing the top of her red polka dot panties. I conclude that she is overall a brutish and unladylike girl after closing the bedroom door and walking down the hall to the ambience of her snoring.

At first, I decided I would go cook breakfast, but after entering the kitchen and seeing that Saber was nowhere to be found, I am now exploring the house to see where she is hiding. I check every nook and cranny, wanting to find the spirit before she started digging through personal belongings.

After turning over the entire house and still not finding her, I become confused as to where the hell she could be. _Wait, maybe she's in that spirit form that Archer keeps turning into? I haven't seen her use it, so I just assumed she couldn't, but…_ Just as I decide this must be the answer to her whereabouts, I remember there's one place I haven't checked; the old dojo.

While walking to the training dojo, I realize how long it's been since I've actually gone inside. _I used to spend a great deal of time working out in there, but I've scarcely been inside in the past 2 years._ As time passed, archery became of a higher priority to me and practicing kendo and exercising any way other than firing my bow seemed less important. All I needed was my workshop and the backyard.

Upon reaching the door, I notice a slight gap, telling me I've found the girl in question. I open the door. The old room had the lights turned off, being illuminated only by the daylight pouring in from the one window high on the left wall of the dojo. The walls are adorned with dusty shinai, exactly as they were years ago. The stream of light from the window is littered with dust particles floating freely in the air, and it ends in a small halo in the middle of the room. Within the circle of light kneels Saber, sitting still as can be with her eyes shut. _What's she doing out here by herself? Is she meditating?_ While wondering what she's doing, I debate whether I should ask or leave her uninterrupted.

"Shirou." My thoughts are interrupted by her calling out my name, without even opening her eyes to look.

"Uh, yes? How'd you know it was me?" She kept her eyes shut, the only change in her face seeming to be the slight frustration apparent in her furrowed brow.

"Your footsteps are heavier and faster paced than Irisviel's and Rin's. Archer wouldn't bother looking for me out of spirit form." Her sharp reply made it evident she wasn't interested in idle chit-chat with me. I, however, am far too curious about why she's playing hermit out in this old shack.

"I see. Well, what are you doing out here? Did you not sleep last night? I know I jokingly told Tohsaka she had to sleep in the laundry room, but we have tons of spare rooms…" She finally opened her eyes to look at me.

"I'm fine, thank you. You needn't bother yourself with me, our relationship is purely that of acquaintances. I'm here only to serve Irisviel to my fullest extent and to win the Grail. I saw this place to be uninhabited and unused, so I took up lodgings in here. Here, I'll remain out of your way and you out of mine." I feel my eye twitch slightly as I nervously laugh at her harsh response. _Jeez, she really wants_ nothing _to do with me._

"A-Alright then. Well, I'm going to go start breakfast. Feel free to join whenever you're done… uh, meditating." Her expression changed at the mention of food, becoming more enthused and somehow even more serious. She quickly reverted to her previous stern, slightly annoyed expression and closed her eyes once more.

"Very well. I will join you once Irisviel awakens." After hearing her response, I leave the old room, feeling guilty for making her stay in the dust-filled dojo.

My arm begins to lose feeling from me laying on top of it, so I roll over and onto my back. I've been laying on the dining room floor for a while now. I finished cooking breakfast, set the table, and have been waiting ever since. Irisviel, Sakura, Tohsaka, no one had graced my presence so far. _It's been almost an hour since I finished cooking! Well… I suppose everyone did stay up all night._ After reflecting on how we were awake all during that crazy night, I realize I've still yet to sleep nor am I particularly tired. _Weird…_

My lousing around is interrupted by the phone in the hallway ringing. I jump up and step out to answer it, just in time to bump into Saber in the hall. "Oh, Saber. Irisviel still isn't up." She nods at me, then turns to face the ringing house phone. "Let me get that real quick…" She nods again. I quickly pick up the phone and place it up to my ear just in time to hear-

"SHIROU, HEY!" I grimace from my eardrum being assaulted by Miss Fujimura's energetic, almost shouting, voice.

"Miss Fujimura? Do you have to shriek into the phone every time you call? What do you want?" She giggles after hearing my annoyance at her loud, obnoxious voice.

"Awww, don't be like that! Aren't you happy to hear from your favorite teacher-aunt?"

"You're not my aunt."

"Don't stress the small stuff. Anyways, WHERE ARE YOU?! Practice started over half an hour ago! Not only that, you didn't even show up to last practice!" I move the phone a few inches away from my ear, realizing she had no intention of lowering her voice. I then realize I did in fact forget about practice today.

"I'm sorry Miss Fujimura, I completely forgot about practice today. I knew I missed the last one, but that's because I had to deal with some stuff here."

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it. Since I forgot my lunch, all you have to do is bring me some food when you get here and all will be forgiven!"

"W-What? No Miss Fujimura, I can't come tod-"

"Great! See you in a few minutes!" *click* I lower the phone and glare at it in annoyance. I place it back on the receiver and turn to Saber. Her face indicated she heard the conversation, no surprise given how loud Miss Fujimura is.

"Well, I guess I have to go bring her some food." Saber nods.

"I shall accompany you." Her offer catches me off-guard, considering I thought she hated me prior to this.

"Are you sure? I thought you were oath-bound to protect Irisviel or whatever. Shouldn't you stay here?" She answers while walking past me and towards the front door.

"It will be fine, Archer is here. And from what I've gathered, the school is not too far. If something were to happen, I can return quickly." I walk through the dining room and into the small kitchen to pack a lunch, calling out my response over my shoulder.

"Alright, but why? Why do you want to come?" As I quickly finish throwing it together and wrapping it up, Saber answers.

"It's a place of interest. Lancer and Archer have fought there and one or more of the other masters may be attending school there. I want to gather intel." I join her in the hallway and hand her the lunch, so I can pull my shoes on. I giggle at her comment of a master potentially being at my school, remembering the young child of a master that tried to kill me.

"Maybe an elementary school would be a better place to check." I finish tying my shoes and look up to see Saber glaring at my inquisitively.

"What do you mean 'an elementary school'?" _Crap, did I say that out loud?_

"Uhhh, nothing! C'mon, let's go." I grab the lunch from her and quickly run out the house before she can question me further.

The walk to the school was going fine; Saber remained quiet, occasionally asking questions about the school or the surrounding area, but there were no hiccups during our trek. Then I saw the giant gash Berserker left in the street, which was now surrounded by little wooden posts and caution tape. No later than I did, Saber also sees it.

"Shirou, look! Do you see that?" After asking me, she rushes across the street without waiting for an answer and homes in on the slash mark. I follow her and psyche myself up to play ignorant about it as best I can. Once I reach her, she looks up at me with concern. "Shirou, a servant caused this."

"Really? Y-You think so?" She nods at my weak response.

"No doubt. This gash was caused by a weapon. However… it's too broad to be from Lancer's spear… A sword or an axe caused this." I recall Berserker's giant stone weapon and realize she is spot on. It wasn't quite a sword, but it wasn't quite an axe; it was a bit of both.

"Interesting. Well is there any point in inspecting it any longer? I really have to get this food to Fujimura." She rises up to her feet and shakes her head.

"No. Please, let's continue onwards." I sigh, relieved to leave behind the mark. Saber follows close behind me, her face evident that she's deep in thought about the evidence. I felt ashamed to be keeping the master/servant duo a secret from her, but if I can't tell Irisviel, then I very well can't let her servant know… not just yet, anyways.

Thinking about Berserker caused my mind to become occupied with anxious thoughts as we entered the front gate to the school. I reach into the front hem of my pants to rub my lucky arrow that I had tucked away, to soothe my worries. We continue walking, but suddenly Saber stops midstep.

"Sh-Shirou!" I stop and look at her to see her face is beet red and she's staring at me in a mixture of rage and embarrassment. I take a step back from her nervously.

"W-What's wrong?" She closes her eyes and raises her hand up as though she's about to backhand me.

"Just what do you think you're doing in broad daylight?!" She shouts at me while stepping forward, hand ready to be swung across my cheek. I look around in confusion until my eyes land on what must've caused the misunderstanding. My hand, tucked away in the front of my pants, rubbing my arrow; which, to the untrained eye, appears that I'm doing something much more publicly indecent.

"Wait, wait, WAIT! It's not what you think! Look!" I quickly yank the arrow out from my pantline and point it at her. She stops her charge but still looks at me with burning embarrassment.

"D-Don't point it at me! Why was it in your pants!" I lower the arrow to my side and fumble for an explanation.

"No particular reason… It's just where I decided to put it." She groans in annoyance and begins lecturing me on why sharp things shouldn't be put there.

Halfway into the lecture, she turns her attention to the object in question. "What is it anyway?" She asks me. I look at her in confusion.

"It's an arrow." I state matter-of-factly. She returns my confused look with one of her own.

"An arrow?" I nod. She continues staring. "I'm not sure I'd qualify that as an arrow…" Her comment irritated me, but I held my tongue. She continues staring at it intently. "How strange," she comments while burning her gaze into my possession. "May I see it for a moment?"

"Uh… Sure." I hand it over and she gingerly grabs it. After inspecting it up and down, she glares at it intensely. "Is something wrong?" She neglects my question and just continues to stare it down, rubbing every possible surface of it with her fingers. "S-Saber, should I remind you that was tucked in the front of my pants just moments ago?" Her serious, inquisitive gaze shatters and is painted over in the embarrassed hues of red once more. She drops it on the ground and begins stammering.

"I-I know that! There's no need to make it weird! I was just looking at it!" I barely hear her as I quickly drop down to my knees and pick up my precious arrow that she carelessly dropped in the dirt.

"Don't just drop other people's belongings on the ground! What was so interesting about it anyways?" I shove it back in my pants after rising up to my feet, not intending to let her touch it again. Her embarrassed guise slowly fades away after I inquire why she was so intrigued by it.

"Nothing. I just thought… it felt familiar." I look at her in confusion for a moment, but after she doesn't continue, I turn and begin walking towards the archery range again, gesturing for her to follow. _Weird. It "felt" familiar, not "looked"?_

Once inside, I'm immediately greeted by Miss Fujimura… Or, I would call it a greeting, but all she did was dash up to me, pluck the lunch from my hands, then run off to some obscure corner to devour it; without so much as saying a word. Not long after she pillaged the lunch, I receive a proper greeting from Sakura and another member of the club, a brown-haired girl named Ayako Mitsuzuri.

"How's it goin Emiya?" Mitsuzuri asks before draping her arm over my shoulder.

"Fine, I'm just here to bring Fujimura her lunch. Actually, why'd you let her go without food for so long? One of you should've gone and bought her something from the cafeteria. You know how she gets when without food for an extended period of time." Mitsuzuri yanks her arm away and averts her gaze, whistling in a childish manner to proclaim her innocence. I frown at her response and Sakura lets out a little giggle. She then looks to my lowered right arm and gasps.

"Senpai! What happened to your arm!?" Her eyes fill with worry and she stares at me impatiently for an answer.

"Oh I… um- I sprained my wrist! When I was trying to reach something on a high shelf in my workshop yesterday; I fell and landed on it. It looks worse than it actually is." As I explained, Sakura's worried face diminished, and she soon looked fully relieved. Meanwhile, Mitsuzuri just laughed her butt off at my fake story. _Actually… this is the perfect opportunity!_ "Yeah in fact, would you mind telling Miss Fujimura that I won't be able to attend the next few practices because of it? I would appreciate it." She nods eagerly.

"Of course, senpai!" She turns on her heel and heads off to wherever Fujimura perched herself to eat lunch. After taking her first step, she stops. She turns back to look at me. "And… thanks senpai." I could barely hear what she whispered out to me. _Did she thank me? For what?_ She glances behind me and her eyes light up in curiosity, but she then quickly turns and runs off to find Fujimura. I glance behind me and see it must've been Saber that caught her attention. After pondering for a moment, I realize she may have been thanking me for knocking Shinji's teeth out.

"So, Emiya," My thoughts are halted by Mitsuzuri once again returning her arm to the spot on my shoulder and addressing me. "You can't come to practice for a while because you sprained your wrist? Even though you kept coming every practice for months after you fractured your shoulder? Interesting." I brush her arm off.

"Yeah, that's right. There a problem with that?" She laughs and playfully punches me in my right shoulder; the specific one that'd been fractured.

"Nope, no problem at all! Now tell me who this gorgeous blonde with you is!" I groan in annoyance at her carefree attitude and begin to messily piece together a cover story for my heroic spirit companion.

After conversing with Sakura and Mitsuzuri a while longer, I took Saber into the school to look around since she asked me to. It remained largely uneventful, but she did take an interest in one of my teacher's, Souichirou Kuzuki. We ran into him while walking down a hallway on the second floor. After exchanging a few words, he leaves us. Saber looks at me.

"Shirou-"

"I know." I cut her off, already knowing what she's going to say. "He's an incredible guy, isn't he?" She looks shocked by my statement.

"Y-Yes, how'd you know?" It was quite obvious to me.

"It's easy to see; his stature and the way he walks, there's no wasted movement or energy. His breathing is constantly controlled, even when he's lecturing our class. And one look into his eyes; anyone could tell he's seen his fair share of shit. I wouldn't be surprised if he's witnessed a murder… or committed one." She appears dumbfounded by my assessment.

"Yes, I thought the exact same thing. You may not be as ignorant as you look." I glare at her slightly, not knowing whether to consider what she said an insult or a compliment.

"Yeah, thanks. So, do you think he could be a master?" She shakes her head and looks down the hallway in the direction he went.

"Despite giving the air of a fighter, he's by no means a mage. There isn't a good chance he's involved in the Grail War." I follow her gaze down the hallway, just in time to see him cut the corner and walk out of sight.

"Huh." I reply simply. "Well, let's go. I promised I would walk Sakura home. She said she wouldn't be able to eat with us anymore for a couple of weeks; walking her home today is the least we can do." I begin walking towards the stairwell.

"Shirou." Saber states my name, stopping me in my steps.

"Yes?" Her tone denotes that she's about to talk seriously.

"You care deeply for Irisviel, yes?" I turn to face her.

"What makes you think that?" She scoffs at my sarcastic question.

"It's obvious in everything you do. Everything you say. Or are you saying the act of brushing her teeth for her, something a parent doesn't even do for their own child, is not indicative of that?" I blush profusely at her recalling that event, hoping she'd forgotten. "Well, I know not how deep you care for her. However, if you care anywhere near as much as I think you do, then you'll remain as uninvolved in this War as possible." I laugh vehemently at her once again suggesting this to me.

Once I'm done belting out my chuckles, indicative of how ludicrous I thought the proposal was, I crack the smuggest grin possible at her.

"No." I state plainly. Without waiting for her to respond, I turn and begin jogging towards the stairwell. I hear her begin fumbling at how lightly I treated her serious talk before jogging after me.

"H-Hey! Don't walk away from me! I'm not finished talking to you! Th… This isn't over!" I continue laughing at her frustration from not being taken seriously as run around the corner of the intersecting halls. Yes, running. In a school hallway. In non-school approved shoes. Where running was prohibited.


	11. Chapter 11

Once Saber and I return home, we soon find Tohsaka and Irisviel engaged in serious talking within the dining room. And the table, devoid of any food. I notice Saber staring at the empty plates and bowls atop the table with a longing expression. _She denies it, but she's obviously craving some food._

Once I finish politely picking up and washing the dishes, I quickly throw together and put on a stew to cook for dinner tonight, after seeing the fridge stocked with fresh groceries. Whether this be because of Tohsaka or Irisviel, I do not know. While doing all this, I hear bits and pieces of what they're talking about. Tohsaka discusses all the leads she has on the servants and even proposes a few ideas as to the whereabouts of the masters. It doesn't take long for Saber to cut her off and mention the giant slash mark she saw in the street today. At this point, I've set the pot of stew on at low heat to slow cook, and I join them at the table.

"Very interesting, Saber." Tohsaka comments. "A sword or axe… then it's likely the cause of a Rider or Beserker class. Considering the carelessness of leaving evidence in the middle of the street, I'd venture to say it was Berserker." I silently applaud Tohsaka in the back of my head for guessing correctly. "However, even if it is evidence of Berserker engaging in a tussle with someone, it doesn't give us much to go on. I'll be sure to go look around the site extensively later, but I wholeheartedly believe we should focus on Caster first and foremost." Irisviel nods energetically in agreement.

"I agree with Rin. Trust me when I say that Caster is by far the most dangerous servant class if left to their own devices. A general rule of thumb: the longer a war draws on, the more dangerous they become. I know from experience." _Experience? Oh, she must be referring to the Caster from the previous war…_

"That's right," Tohsaka adds "and since we already have instances pointing to Caster's motives, it makes sense to prioritize them." Irisviel and I look at her in confusion. "What? Oh, by 'instances' I'm referring to the 'gas leak' incidents popping up across town." Irisviel and I still look at her in confusion. "Have… Have you not heard about these? They've been plastered all over the news for a while now." Irisviel avoids eye contact with Rin and I know exactly why.

"Rin," I begin "we uh… we don't really use the tv. Irisviel just has it to watch anime and cartoons." She appears flabbergasted by this revelation and looks at Irisviel in disappointment. _I can tell by her expression; she's losing admiration for Irisviel by the second._ "Anyways," I continue "can you catch us up to speed on these gas leaks?"

"Oh, yes. Basically, several instances have occurred where an office or residence has all the inhabitants fall unconscious for seemingly no reason. The news channels sum it up to being gas leaks, but the affected show too severe of symptoms for it to just be that. And, oddly enough, these 'gas leaks' only occur in buildings with many workers or inhabitants." After Tohsaka's explanation, Irisviel's eyes light up in understanding.

"You're proposing that Caster is siphoning their souls for energy?" Irisviel asks. Tohsaka nods.

"Of course, I don't have any solid proof yet. I was planning to go check out one of the quarantined buildings after we discussed what our plan would be." _I see. It makes sense now why she was so anxious to start making a game plan last night._ After pondering her suggestion for a moment, Irisviel responds.

"Well, if you're going off to investigate one of these quarantined buildings by yourself, what is it you want Saber and I to do?" Tohsaka smiles.

"I'm glad you asked. I've determined a few possible places Caster may be taking up residence at. The places of interest may seem unremarkable, but I have reason to believe…" After hearing Tohsaka clarify that she's interested in the help of Irisviel and Saber, not mine, I tune out and begin fiddling with my cast instead. _I get that I'm not a mage… I understand that I'm no heroic spirit… but if they'd just give me a chance…_ "…and finally, this one seems lowest priority, but there's a tiny lake about a mile deep into the forest east of Fuyuki…" My attention gets anchored back to Tohsaka all at once upon her mentioning this lake. _A small lake in the forest east of Fuyuki? Why does that… I know the lake, it's-_

"Horizon Creek." Tohsaka's eyes light up upon hearing me interject with the name of the landmark.

"Yes, that's the name. Are you familiar with it?" I open my mouth to respond, but pause, drawing a blank for how to answer her. _I've… I must've heard of it before or- have I been there before?_ I rub my left temple, trying to stimulate my mind to dig up the memory. Tohsaka sighs after waiting a moment for my response.

"Well, regardless, strange activity has been happening in the area surrounding the lake. Shattered trees, craters in the ground, skeletons of wild game picked clean, and other signs of someone, or something, lingering there are evident." I continue attempting to recall where I heard about the lake while Irisviel answers Tohsaka.

"So, you just want Saber and I to examine these locations and see if there's anything to indicate if Caster is residing there?"

"Yes, that's mainly it. However, it's not just Caster we need to be wary of; any servant could be standing by there. Really, any suspicious activity or evidence is what we're looking for. It won't take long; excluding the lake in the east forest, the other locations can all be checked thoroughly within a single day trip. In fact, taking that into account, perhaps Emiya should go check out the lake while you and Saber evaluate the other locations, since he's familiar with the place. It would allow us to check all of our leads effectively in one day." Hearing Tohsaka state she wants my help drags my attention away from figuring out where I heard about the lake from. "Of course, I'm not sure he'd know what to look for… maybe it's-"

"No, no! I can handle it!" I nearly lunge across the table at her while affirming I can do it, not wanting to miss my chance to prove my worth.

"A-Alright," she answers, appearing shaken at my desperateness "then I'll leave it to you, Emiya." I settle back down in my seat while trying to hide my embarrassment from that outburst. "Well then, now that that's settled, I'll be leaving for tonight." Irisviel gasps in a pouty tone at Tohsaka's statement.

"Whaa? You're leaving already? You're not going to investigate that building place tonight, are you?" Tohsaka nods.

"Of course," Tohsaka replies "why wouldn't I? It will be easiest to do at night. I also must go attend to some other business at my home. Afterwards, I'll probably set up residence here for the remainder of the War, if that's ok."

"Of course!"No." Irisviel and I spit out in unison. Irisviel glares at me.

"Of course you can stay, Rin!" She repeats, in a slightly louder tone. I yield to her decision and just quietly glare at Tohsaka's triumphant smirk.

"Wellll, since you insist…" I get up from the table and enter the kitchen to check the stew, before I accidentally mouth of to the smug woman.

Tohsaka converses with Irisviel and Saber a while longer before finally excusing herself and standing up from her seat. I hear her walk into the kitchen and turn to see her staring at me expectantly from the doorway.

"Do you need something?" I ask her. She frowns at me as though I've offended her in some way.

"Shouldn't you see your guest out the front door? Actually, shouldn't you offer to walk me home? It's dangerous late at night, you know?" Her questions perplex me; I know full well she doesn't want me to accompany her. I grit my teeth in irritation.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem for you. You're accompanied by the crimson gargoyle, after all." She tilts her head and gives my response a confused look. "…Archer." She dons her irritated grimace again and grabs me by my sleeve.

"Just come on!" She shouts. I let myself be dragged by her, not wanting my shirt's sleeve to stretch or tear. Instead of following, Irisviel scurries into the kitchen once Tohsaka and I exit. _Probably to see what I'm whipping up for dinner._

Once outside, Tohsaka slings the door shut and continues dragging me until we're outside the front gate. She finally unhands me and soon Archer materializes behind her. I wait expectantly for her to say whatever she brought me out here for, but instead she just converses and bickers with Archer. I tap my foot impatiently while she brings him up to speed on what's happening and discusses what they're doing tonight. After respectfully waiting a few minutes, I give up and begin walking back inside.

"Hey!" Tohsaka shouts while once again latching onto my sleeve.

"What!?" I shout back while brushing her hand off.

"Don't just up and leave on me, I want to talk to you about something."

"Which is?" She gives me the 'oh, you know what' look, and I feel like I do know what. If what Saber randomly requested of me yesterday at school is any indicator, she's going to ask me to stay out of their business. I sigh. "Why are you two gunning so hard to get me to ignore this Holy Grail business?"

"You two?" She asks. "I assume you're referring to Saber? I can't speak on her behalf, but I personally just want you to stay out of the way. With you involved, I have to worry about Irisviel worrying about you and you worrying about Irisviel. You're also stupid and reckless; I don't want you going off thinking you can fight a servant. And GOD FORBID if you up and died on us; Irisviel and Saber would be so caught up in that mess. How would I get their help to win the war then?"

"Piss. Off." I tried laughing it off with Saber when she asked, but that's mostly because her intentions were out of concern for Irisviel, which made me happy. This girl, however, seems to just see me as a nuisance, and I can't help but get angry when I talk to her. Tohsaka surprises me by laughing in response to my answer.

"Haha, yeah I figured you'd say that. Don't worry, I've given up on convincing you to stay out of it. However, if you _are_ going to be involved with us, I want to at least better prepare you for it." I become intrigued by her proposal. _She's the last person I'd expect wanting to help me_.

"What did you have in mind?" I ask.

"I was thinking magecraft." I get taken aback by her idea, as does Archer who appears severely concerned by the notion. Archer quickly interjects with his opinion.

"Rin, surely you can't be serious. I see no reason to teach him magecraft. Even if you were to, what could be taught in such a short span of time?" Tohsaka shakes her head at him.

"There are plenty of basic things he can learn, if he has the aptitude. Anything to help increase his survivability will be a great help." He quickly rebuttals, and they begin arguing back and forth. It doesn't take me long to decide how to answer her, the pace at which I did being hastened by their annoying arguing, and I interrupt them.

"Neither of you have to worry yourselves; I have no intention to learn magic." It doesn't take long for Tohsaka to fume up at my answer.

"What. Do. You. Mean?! I so graciously offer my mentorship and you turn me down? Do you have any idea what an honor it is to be taught by me? Why I oughta-"

"He gave his answer, Rin." Archer interrupts her speech. "We have to respect that." He seems oddly pleased that I'm not interested in it.

"Oh, shut up Archer!" Tohsaka fires back. "You didn't want him to learn it anyways! Why wouldn't you want to learn magecraft, Emiya? It seems like something a power junkie like you would love." _Power junkie?_

"Well," I begin "mostly because it sounds like a lot of work, and I'm already dealing with enough now. However, it's also because Irisviel knows magic." She rapidly taps her foot in irritation.

"Stop calling it that! It's not magic, it's magecraft! Do you know how unintelligent you sound when you call it that?" I rub my temple in annoyance, but also because my head's begun to ache from her shouting so much.

"Whatever! What's the difference, anyways?!" I shout back. Before she can open her mouth to tell me, Archer answers.

"Magecraft is basically the act of doing something that is humanly possible, just quicker. Magic is magic. Like time travel and immortality. Basically, everything humans think is impossible." Both Tohsaka and I look at him in surprise.

"Yeah, that's basically it. How do you know so much about it?" Archer ponders her question for a moment.

"Just something I heard once." She doesn't look convinced by his answer, but for me that settles it.

"In that case, I definitely don't want to learn it. If I can already do anything magecraft can, what's the point in learning it? That sounds stupid. My bow's enough. I'll take some of that real magic though, if you have any." I could tell I really pushed her buttons now, she looked like she would explode any second. Suddenly, her anger dissipates, and she regains a calm, composed expression.

"Archer!" She firmly states. "We're leaving, we have business to attend to. We can't waste anymore time here." With that, she turns on her foot and walks away, not even saying goodbye. Archer and I both sigh, almost in unison. Once she's out of earshot, Archer turns to me and smirks.

"You shouldn't antagonize her so much." I scoff at his suggestion. _Trust me… being an irksome snide is the only way I'd manage to talk to her._ "What about your other reason?" I raise my brow inquisitively at him, not knowing what he's referring to. "For not wanting to learn magecraft? You said it's because Irisviel already knows it. What does that have to do with anything?" _Oh, that._

"Simple," I answer "if she's been a mage this whole time and never taught me magi- *ahem* magecraft, then she must think I don't need to know it. If that's the case, it's useless to me." Archer's eyes exhibit understanding of my explanation, as though he already assumed that was what I meant.

"I see. This is similar to you not wanting to discuss the child, Berserker's master, with her, yes? You assume she's hiding these things from you for a reason?" I nod. _Well, I wouldn't quite use the term "hiding". I feel it's more her trying to ignore these things; block them away from herself, just as much as me._

"I see…" He continues. "Is that really a safe mindset to have? Should you revere another individual's words and actions, or lack thereof, to the point they become absolutes to you?" I look at him in pure confusion. _His words allude me._ In fact,

I'm not quite sure I understand what he means.

 _If it's not her…_

" **Does anything else matter?** "

Archer steps back from me and his face dons an expression that looks very troubled.

"Archer? What's wrong?" I become worried I might've said something strange or offended him somehow. He opens his mouth to respond.

"ARCHER!" Before he can say anything, we're interrupted by Tohsaka who's angrily yelling from a few streetlights down the road. "Quit talking to him and get down here now!" She shouts out at him in a tone proving she's still peeved from earlier. He sighs then once again gives me his weary smirk.

"I'm sure it won't be long before we're back." He then turns and begins following the direction of his master while talking. "Until then, try not to get yourself killed, yeah?" I also turn and begin heading back inside.

"Yeah," I mutter "right back at you."

After stepping into the dining room, I'm greeted by Irisviel passed out on the floor and Saber sipping on some tea at a corner of the table by herself. I notice a bowl on top of the table with a little bit of broth left in the bottom of it, telling me someone already had dinner. Knowing Saber's reservations about eating, it isn't hard to guess who it was.

"How long's she been asleep?" I ask Saber. She finishes her drawn out sip of tea and places her cup on the table.

"Ever since she finished her meal. A good while, basically." I sigh in disappointment at Saber's answer and begin picking Irisviel up to go carry her off to bed. _You slept almost all of today, how are you still sleepy?_ I decide against brushing her teeth tonight, not wanting Saber to have more embarrassing ammo to use on me.

After tucking Irisviel in and returning to the kitchen, I clean up her dishes and fix two more bowls of stew before joining Saber at the table. Once seated, I push a bowl across the table to Saber, along with a spoon.

"What, for me?" She asks, surprised. I nod before digging into my own bowl. "No, it's fine, thank you. Servants don't need to eat, it would just be a waste of food." I answer her between spoonfuls.

"Oh come on, I've seen you eyeing the food. I already fixed the bowl, might as well help yourself. Besides, there's more than enough, we need your help to finish it." She fidgets nervously and looks at the bowl with hesitation, despite drool practically dripping down the corner of her mouth. "Irisviel feels the same way, trust me; she wants you to enjoy our meals with us." Once I say this, she quickly grabs the bowl with one hand and the spoon with the other.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped then." After uttering this, all restraint escapes her, and she indulges herself thoroughly in the meal. I watch her, feeling a tremendous amount of respect, quickly down the bowl after savoring a few heaping spoonfuls.

I spend the next few minutes checking my email on my phone and watching Saber make trips back and forth to the kitchen to refill her bowl. Eventually, she makes another trip into the kitchen and I hear a loud "aha!" I look at the doorway inquisitively and soon she emerges with the stew pot. The empty stew pot.

"Shirou, I've done it! I've helped you finished the stew!" She proclaims triumphantly. I laugh nervously, trying to mask my shock.

"Yep, you sure did. Good job!" I may have made a huge mistake…

Saber helps me finish washing the dishes and soon we find ourselves in the dining room, sipping tea. I occasionally tap my foot impatiently or twiddle my fingers in boredom. _Man, I really have an itch to go shoot my bow, but I can't just leave her. She's probably going to go back into that old dojo for the night; I don't want to sentence her to that…_

"Shirou?" Saber draws my attention by breaking the silence with my name.

"Yes?"

"I overheard a bit of your conversation with Archer and Rin, just a while ago." _Oh boy, I get to hear her tell me to stay uninvolved again._ "I've decided to respect your decision to help Irisviel in this war." _Oh._ "However, I agree with Rin when she says you must take appropriate measures to increase your survivability. If you will not learn magic, then I'd like to propose engaging in combat training with me from now on." I'm honored to see everyone so eager to help me stay on my feet in this situation, but…

"I would love to take you up on your offer Saber, but I don't use a sword." She bobs her head knowingly.

"Yes, I'm aware. As I understand it, you have a love of archery, no? I wouldn't say I'm proficient in the art, but I do know a thing or two; I once knew a knight who was tremendously skilled with the bow, the best I've ever seen." At this point, she really captures my interest. _I'd be crazy to pass up any opportunity to better myself with the bow._

"I'll graciously accept your offer, Saber. I'm ready to begin whenever you are. Would you be willing to start tonight?" She shakes her head.

"No, it is far too late. We have a busy day tomorrow too; don't forget, you told Rin you would go investigate the… 'Horizon Creek', was it?" I become deflated at her turning me down, but sigh in defeat nonetheless. _I_ still _haven't slept, so it's for the best, I suppose._

"Alright, I'll head to bed for now then. However, you and Irisviel should try to finish up quickly tomorrow; the quicker you can begin training me, the better." She nods and finishes her last sip of tea before standing to her feet.

"I'm surprised you're so eager for this, Shirou. You must be more enthusiastic about archery than Irisviel let on." With that she leaves the room, probably to go back to the old dojo. Once she's gone, I pick up the tea cups and walk into the kitchen to wash them. While running the water, I realize that we had a semi-decent conversation just now with no bickering. _Maybe she's warming up to me? I probably_ should _put in an effort to get on her good side if I want to learn her training secrets._

After brushing my teeth, changing into my pajamas, fixing the bundled mess of a futon Tohsaka left behind, and stuffing my arrow beneath my pillow, I finally snuggle in and close my eyes to sleep. _Now… I rest…_

….I continue laying with my eyes closed in the darkness for what feels like hours. I turn on my side, stomach, back, and then repeat to try and find a position comfortable enough to lull me to sleep. I can only endure doing this so long, and soon I find myself on my stomach, with my hand tucked under my pillow, holding my arrow reassuringly. _Maybe if I go take a couple of shots, I'll be less anxious and can finally get some sleep?_ Once this thought crosses my mind, I can do nothing to stop my psyche from slowly convincing me that this is the case.

"Ah, what the hell?" I give in to my desire and jump up from my futon to go retrieve the bow I left in the grass this morning. _I need to make this snappy, gotta be well rested for tomorrow._

After entering the backyard and seeing the bow wasn't in the grass, I walk back to my shed to see if someone moved it there. Sure enough, the bow and quiver are on my work table. I once again pause to admire the intricate design of the bow. _Man, for being such a stiff, that guy can make one hell of a bow…_ I don't spend too much time admiring the bow before grabbing it and the quiver and stepping out into the yard.

No sooner than my foot hits the grass after exiting the shed, I hear the sound of glass shattering. I look to the direction I heard it. _The front of the house?_ I begin lightly jogging across the yard and around the house to see what happened. _A plant must've been tipped over by a cat and smashed or something…_

I reach the front yard and see… _The gate's open? I could've sworn I shut it once Archer and I finished talking._ I walk up to the gate and begin to close it, but then I notice something. Smashed on the sidewalk, just in front of the gate, is a cola bottle. The brown puddle surrounding the glass has almost completely diminished from being sucked into the stone surface underneath.

I tighten my grip on my bow. _What is this?_ While standing next to the beverage someone smashed on the ground, I hear another glass shattering to my left, further down the street. I look and see another shattered glass bottle, with the previously held contents flowing out into a puddle. _Should I go get Saber?_ I continue debating whether or not to go seek assistance when I hear another one get smashed, even further away; a few houses down. _If I go get Saber, whatever it is might get too far for me to find it._ I go with my instincts and begin my pursuit.

After a short jog and a little bit of snooping, I find the third bottle I heard get smashed. _The way the shattered glass is arranged… and the splatter pattern of the soda, it's just like the others; these are being thrown at the ground from a distance and… from above?_ I glance up at the roof of the house I'm kneeling next to, just in time to see a figure turn and run away.

"Hey!" I shout. "Wait!" I run between the neighboring houses and follow the mysterious person into the back network of alleyways. As soon as I reach the alley that all the houses are lined in front of, I hear the footsteps above pause before resuming on the next building, heading down a direction further away from my house. _They jumped to another roof. Are they trying to get away?_ I waste no time and quickly run down the adjacent alley, following in pursuit of the direction they ran.

It doesn't take long for me to lose track of the pitter-patter above, and I find myself in an unknown part of town. _Shit! What the hell?_ I first thought that whoever this person is, they're a servant. _But if so, why are they running away?!_

For the time being, I drop my worries of the stranger and instead try to figure out where I've found myself. It's at this moment I realize I've run down a long back alley, ending with a dead end. _Wait… could this have been planned? Were they not running, but instead herding me into a trap?_

I reach into my quiver and quietly pull out an arrow, all while darting my eyes in every possible direction and subtly moving my head. _If that's true… then within the next few moments, they'll make their move._ I listen closely with my ears and analyze thoroughly, the above ledges of the surrounding buildings, with my eyes. _I hear it._ Behind me, on the roof of the apartment complex, heavily muffled by the AC condensers, a piece of cloth, someone's clothes, brushes against the stone ledge as they lean over.

I knock the arrow and snap my body to face them. The person has their arm raised with yet another soda in their grasp, prepared to throw it down to the ground. _Bingo._ I aim and release the knocked arrow. The person jumps back in shock just as the arrow collides into and shatters the soda they're holding. "Enough!" I yell up at the person. "There's no point in hiding anymore; show yourself!" After a brief pause, I hear a response from the overhanging ledge.

"Hmph, so it would seem." _That tone… A woman?_ Without further delay, the woman finally jumps off the structure and falls to the ground a few feet in front of me, unveiling herself for the world to see. "You're quite the perceptive one, Shirou Emiya." I lose my composure slightly at the appearance of the woman who's graced me with her presence.

"I… thank you, I guess. And who are you supposed to be?" The woman has vibrant, pink hair that reaches down almost to her feet. A black stretch of cloth with a purple design is wrapped around her eyes as a blindfold. Even though she's currently crouched on the ground on all fours… for whatever reason, I can clearly tell she's tall, taller than me even. It seems the sugary fluids within the bottle I just shot sprayed all over her, making here short, black garb cling to her and accentuate all of her… curves and bits.

"I," she begins, snapping me out of my analysis of her body "am a servant." I laugh nervously, not quite sure how else to deal with the situation.

"I see. If I hadn't heard about this Holy Grail War recently, I'd think anime con must be in town." She tilts her head at me in confusion. "Your… your hair and clothes, they make you look like a… oh forget it, it's a bad joke anyways." She rises up to her feet.

"Oh, a joke? You like jokes? Knock knock." I stare at her in confusion, not expecting a turn of events like this.

"Uh, who's there?"

"Cash."

"Cash who?"

"No, thank you. I prefer almonds." I force a chuckle at the corny joke. Her expression doesn't falter, and she remains as stoic as a statue. I awkwardly tug at the string of my bow. _This girl is strange._

"You said you're a servant? Why did you lure me all the way out here? And what's the deal with all the sodas?" She doesn't answer me immediately, whether it be because she didn't intend to tell me or because she is thinking how to respond, I don't know. _Because with that blindfold and her blank face, I can't tell what she's thinking at all._

"Because," she finally states "I needed something bizarre enough to capture your interest. Soda bottles seemed like a good idea. Why would anyone waste something that tastes so good? Strange, right?" _Not my first thought, but yes, I suppose…_ "As for why I lured you out this far, I know if I tried to kill you while so close to the other two servants, they'd find me and probably kill me." Once she finally clarifies her hostility, all playfulness evaporates from the air. I alter my soft expression and fake smile to harshly glare at her.

"You used my name earlier. This means your master, the one who sent you to kill me, knows me, yeah?" She nods.

"He has a particular distaste for you." _So, it's a "he"._

"So, your plan was to lure me out here with the 'bizarre' bottle smashing, then distract me with that last bottle by throwing it in a direction to anchor my attention? After which, you would dispatch me as soon as I was focused on the bottle." She nods again.

"Basically." She answers. "However, he said to not be discovered before I assassinate you. So, now that you've found me, I'm at a loss for what to do." _I see… just like a machine, without being instructed down to the T on what to do, she can't continue on._ "Perhaps I should still kill you? Maybe I should retreat for now?" _Is she… asking me?_

"If…" I begin "you want to live… then yes, you should retreat." Her face finally changes upon hearing my proclamation. A slight smile graces her lips.

"Is that so? That sounds like a challenge to me." I shake my head and watch as chains materialize around her wrists and two metallic stakes fall to the ground at her feet.

"A challenge? No." I rip off the messy cast and throw it to the side before pulling out three arrows from my quiver. "A promise." She laughs while whipping the chains, causing the stakes to clank up from the ground and fly into the air, before snatching them up in each hand.

"I quite like you, Shirou Emiya. If only you were a mage; I could imagine being the servant of one such as you." I knock the first arrow while ignoring her and scowl at her once it's fully drawn.

"Can't say I feel the same." She giggles slightly at my response and lowers herself as though she's going to fall on all fours again.

 _Steel yourself, Shirou. This fight will show to them you are a contender._

Right when her hands holding the stakes are about to touch the ground, she lunges forward at me. I release the arrow and immediately ready to shoot the other two simultaneously. The woman dodges the shot effortlessly and the arrow sinks into the darkness of the alley behind her. I shoot off the other two at her, one aimed at her head and the other at her feet; she's only a few steps away from me when I shoot them. _Dammit, why is my right forearm aching?_ I recall what Irisviel said; about her healing possibly making the bone not mend back perfectly.

The servant dodges the one aimed at her feet and swats away the other. When she enters striking distance of me, instead of going for another arrow. I throw my bow in the air and catch it with both hands on the lower limb. "Back-" I tighten my grip around the limb and slug it horizontally, a moment before her stakes can reach me. "the fuck up!"

She folds over on my bow swatting into her before flying back to the left side of the alley. Before she can collide with the building, she grabs the iron hand rail of the fire escape and perches on it. I don't stop. I rip out another arrow and shoot it off, despite my forearm really hurting. She jumps from the rail and descends upon me. My eyes widen in confusion as I see her making no effort to dodge the arrow. _Can she not see it because of the blindfold? What the hell?_

I become less tense, thinking the battle was just about over once the arrow hit her. Then the arrow hits her chest. And tinks off, as though it collided with steel plating. "Wh-What?!" I quickly raise my arms to block, no longer having enough time to dodge. I manage to knock her right stake back with my bow in my left hand, but I can do nothing to stop the opposite one which sinks itself into my right forearm.

"Ngrh!" I grunt while shoving her away with the bow. She backsteps a few strides down the alley, leaving her stake embedded within my arm. I angrily drop my bow and reach to grab the spike and rip it out of my arm. Just as I'm about to grab it, the spike vanishes. I stare at my arm in confusion before turning back to the servant. She retains her devilish smile as though she's won. _I wouldn't get so cocky. Just because you managed to land one hit doesn't… mean…_ I stop when I realize what she seems so happy about.

My right arm is being tugged forward and towards her, of its own volition. _What the?!_ I desperately try to figure out what's happening, and then I notice she's reeling an invisible line towards her; and I realize I still feel the pressure of the stake in the puncture hole. _Is it still stuck in there?! Did she make it invisible?_ All at once, she yanks the invisible chain towards her, making me fly into the qir and rocket towards her. She picks up the other stake and readies her arm to drive it into me as I approach.

 _Think! Think!_ As soon as I get close enough and she jabs the stake at me, I barrel roll over her arm that yanked me to her and I huck a punch at the back of her head as hard as I can. She grunts and falters over slightly, to which I turn right as I hit the ground behind her and roundhouse kick my left foot into her neck.

"*cough*" She lets out a scratchy cough after the impact from a kick which would've crushed the windpipe of any normal person. _Man, these heroic spirits really are monsters._

I jump to my feet just as she turns to swipe at me with her weapon again. By instinct, I whip my arrow out that was tucked in my pantline within my left hand and meet her stake with a strike of my own. The two clash and we soon find ourselves locked by an ethereal chain and each of our "blades" pressed firmly against the other. I hear her clear her throat.

"*ahem*, you… your bow, this arrow. What are they?" I stop exerting force against our interlocked weapons and duck to dodge the strike from her stake. As soon as it swings through the empty air above me, I twirl the arrow in my left hand to hold in an icepick grip.

"Mine." I respond. I drag the clutched arrow swiftly across her stomach, then back again and up her midsection, ending with a punctuated uppercut into her right jawline. She staggers back a few steps and the chained spike embedded within my arm rematerializes. "Hngg!" I grunt while wasting no time wrapping my hand around it and yanking it out of my arm. As soon as it's out, I heave and scramble to turn and run back to the bow I dropped before she yanked me to her.

My hand reaches it. Grab. Turn. Knock. Aim. I kneel with my lucky arrow fastened, only a slight move of my thumb away from flying towards the servant. She has regained her composure and looks quite pissed now; a stark contrast to her expressionless face from earlier. I notice that for whatever reason, my arrow was now able to damage her; the bloody cross embedded in her midsection being proof of that. I sit, dead still, waiting to see what her next move will be.

"I," she finally states "…I do not know what that arrow is, or how it works. However, don't think I shall be so foolish to let you touch me with it again. Once I come at you full speed, you won't be able to keep afloat as you have been thus far." I laugh slightly at her declaration.

"Is that right? I highly implore you, use your… what were they called? Oh yeah, 'Noble Phantasm' if you want to kill me." She shakes her head and readies her dual weapons.

"There's no need. And even if there was, I'd sooner retreat than waste it on you. You see, my master is a very poor mage; he cannot supplement me with as much mana as a proper master. Given our tight supply of mana, every use of my Noble Phantasm must be an absolute necessity." I frown at her. _Then you lose…_

She lowers herself again, in the same fashion as before, preparing to lunge at me.

"Let us see!" I shout. "If the superstition still holds true!" Despite my right arm burning from the hole in it, I pull the drawn string even further back. _Just one. One shot. Just a shot. Just this one shot… please._ The servant pushes off the ground and propels herself through the air.

The thumb and two fingers sandwiching the base of my arrow part from each other. The bow bends into shape and jettisons the shot to meet her. I clearly see her body shift and move seamlessly to the side, to a position the arrow will miss her by quite a lot.

" _It will miss."_ That thought crosses my mind. However, against what I think, against my intuition, against what I can see, I know it not to be true. It will hit…

"Your right eye." I state. When she's only a single breath away from me, I step to the left and watch as the arrow flies into the right half of her blindfold and out the back of her head. She goes limp before crashing down and skidding across the ground I stood at a second ago. I sigh deeply in relief, finally feeling how rapidly my heart is beating in my chest.

 _How strange though. Did her body move again so that the arrow would hit? Or did the arrow itself move?_ I couldn't tell. It seems that in one moment it was flying wildly inaccurate and then the next, everything was lined up as though it was already traversing the correct path. I couldn't make sense of it, but regardless, now isn't the time. I once again grab my bow in a manner to be swung and turn to finish the servant.

Once I turn, I see her already back on her feet, her hands covering her wounded eye.

"Agh! Hnn!" She softly mutters in pain while steadying her feet. Seeing she isn't down for the count yet, I hoist my bow back and rush at her. "It seems… I've made a mistake." After saying this, she dodges my swing at her and shoves me back with her left hand. I ungracefully topple on my ass and watch her begin striding down the alley to escape.

"Stop! You're not getting away!" I turn around and run down the alley to collect my lucky arrow that shot clean through her head. I find it at the base of the right wall, next to a tin garbage can. After snatching it up, I whip around and see… _no sign of her._

"Dammit! Shit!" I angrily throw my bow down and collapse onto my knees. "Ughhhhhhhhhhh." I groan in annoyance before rolling backwards onto my back and staring up into the darkness. _There goes my chance to take out one of the big players in this thing. Still though… an arrow through the head didn't finish her? Did I miss her vital? Or are they really just that durable?_ While pondering this, I realize that the arrow I'm holding in my right hand has become slick with blood; a mixture from the servant's and my own leaking down from the wound in my arm.

I stand to my feet and feel myself wobble. _Dammit, I'm getting woozy. I must've lost more blood than I thought._ I pick up my bow and the remnants of my cast that I slung off. I quietly hobble down the alley to head home, trying to figure out how to wrap the ribbon of fabric from the cast in a way that'll help stop the bleeding.


	12. Chapter 12

_A boy sits at the bank of a large, glistening pond. He rests next to the bank beneath an old willow tree. Another young boy sits beside him. Together, they stare out across the beautiful body of water. The other child, whose features are indiscernible, turns to him._

" _Hey, so I've got a question for you." The child says._

" _Hm?" The other hums in response._

" _Do you know why they call this place Horizon Creek? I only found out the other day myself." The other boy shakes his head._

" _I don't. I only found out this place is even here today." The other boy giggles, surely happy to know that he can impress his new friend with this nugget of information._

" _Well," the boy begins "apparently when the sun rises in the east over there," the boy points to the far end of the lake, opposite of where the two sit "the water below reflects a perfect image of it, showing a horizon clearly in the water beneath." The other boy stares across the water as he explains._

" _Huh." The boy states simply, unimpressed. However, his friend had yet to finish explaining the story._

" _Annnnnnd," the boy continued "for some reason, throughout the rest of the day, the sun remains suspended in that one spot, even though it's constantly moving throughout the sky. However, you can only see this to be the case when you sit underneath this willow tree; the sun is shown forever frozen in a horizon from this angle until it disappears from the sky completely and it becomes nighttime. That is why it's called Horizon Creek."_

 _The other boy perks up upon hearing this and looks more closely at the water. Surely enough, the water reflects the image of a dawn on the horizon perfectly, despite it being well into the afternoon._

" _Woahhh!" The child proclaims, standing up in awe. His friend laughs, seeing he did indeed manage to impress him. "That's amazing! How did you know this?" The boy in question shrugs his shoulders._

" _It's just one of those things you happen to hear, I guess."_

I groggily open my eyes as the dream fades into obscurity, to the bright light of the ceiling shining down on me. Almost immediately, I fall into a fit of coughing and I'm urged to reach up with my left hand and clutch my chest.

"Shirou!" I hear my name get shouted at me and look to see Irisviel at my right, with worry imminent all across her face. I hold my right hand up at her while coughing, to show that I'm fine, that I just need a minute.

After belting out whatever was wrong, I graciously take the glass of water that Saber offers me. While downing it, I glance around at my surroundings. The three of us are all in my room; Saber and Irisviel are at either side of my futon. Irisviel has blankets bunched up around her on the floor and she's still in her pajamas, telling me she must've slept next to me last night.

 _Last night. Last night…_ I recall the events that transpired last night; me tailing the servant, fighting with them in that alley, walking home… then what? My memories after that are fuzzy. Currently, I find it difficult to breathe, and my head is pounding. I finally finish the water and drop the empty glass in my lap.

"Ughh…" I groan "what happened?" _I've never had one, but I imagine this must be what a hangover feels like._ Irisviel opens her mouth to answer.

"That's," Saber yells, stopping Irisviel "what we'd like to know!" I look at her in confusion, my head beginning to hurt slightly more from her shouting at me. "A few hours after you tell me you're going to bed, I hear something banging around the front of the house followed promptly by a loud 'I'M HOME!' I rush to see what's happening and find you in a sweaty, bloody pile, unconscious, in the kitchen." My eyes widen upon hearing her describe the condition she found me in. _Jeez, I knew I was hurt last night, but was it really so bad that I lost consciousness?_

"Shirou, dear, what happened?" Irisviel asks in a much kinder tone compared to Saber's. Kind as it may be, the worry laced in it panged me to hear. _It's obvious I can't cover up my encounter this time, nor do I plan to._

"I uh… ran into a servant." Unsurprisingly, they both seem very shocked by this.

"A servant?" I nod at Saber. Irisviel fumbles to form her question and Saber pushes on with her own. "Well, are you going to explain, Shirou? You didn't just 'run' into a servant. Were you ambushed? Did you fight? Run? Why were you even out to begin with?" I nervously look around the room, half-listening to Saber's barrage of questions.

"I'll fill you both in on everything that happened, but first, where's my bow and arrow at? Were they with me where you found me in the kitchen?" She appears irritated by my question.

"Yes," she begins "they were both with you. We left your bow on the table in the kitchen. As for your arrow… you should know where that is." I look at her inquisitively, not realizing what she means. I hear Irisviel clear her throat to grab my attention. I turn to see her pointing at my right shoulder. I follow the direction her finger is pointing. My eyes land on my arrow jutting out from beneath my shoulder, tucked in my armpit. _This… doesn't clarify anything. I'm more confused now._ I look to Saber to elaborate.

"You were practically cuddling with it all night. After I found you, I awoke Irisviel and got her to help me pick you up and take you to your room. Your bow was not far from you on the floor. That thing, though," she points at my arrow "was clutched tightly in your right hand. Try as we might, we couldn't pry it from your grasp, despite you being feeble and passed out." I look towards Irisviel for her to confirm this.

"It…" she starts "it made it a lot harder to heal you…" I suddenly feel ashamed.

After I get to the dining room with the help of Irisviel and Saber, we all sit at the table and I quickly skim through all the details of what took place last night; having went out to the yard planning to practice some archery, discovering and trailing the stranger smashing soda bottles, finding out it was a servant, and ultimately battling it. All while explaining, Irisviel kept looking progressively more anxious as though she was watching a horror movie and Saber… almost seemed to be enjoying the tale I regaled.

"One thing I can't understand though," I begin "is that my arrows couldn't hurt her." Irisviel slams her hands on the table.

"Obviously they can't, Shirou!" I recede from the table like a spooked kitten upon hearing Irisviel shout. She becomes aware of her sudden outburst and settles back into her seat. "S-Sorry… but you can't expect normal arrows to harm a servant. You should have realized after your brief exchange with Lancer, when your punches couldn't even stagger him, that normal means can't harm them." I nod my head while hanging it low in embarrassment. _I suppose that should have been obvious…_

"I see. Why is that so? The weapons of other servants can harm them. And from what I've gathered, so can a mage's magi- *ehrm* magecraft." Saber interjects this time.

"Indeed, these means can harm servants. I do not know much of the matter, but there are certain aspects to some weapons that give them this property; a foreign accumulated power that makes them able to harm the spirit cores. Magic innately has this aspect about it. It need not even be a holy or demonic sword, even common weapons and items could begin to acquire this aspect so long as they exist in that form for an extended period of time." I couldn't quite follow her explanation; she spoke far too quickly and used terminology I never heard of. It doesn't take her long to pick up on this.

"Simply put," she continues "my sword could be considered a holy blade. Upon its creation, it always exhibited the capacity to harm other spirits. However, let's say there's another blade a smith once forged. It is simply a normal weapon forged from iron and contains no mystical properties. It won't have the ability to affect a spirit as my blade does because of this. However, as much time passes, this sword could be passed down the family. It could become an artifact, a very important heirloom, a symbol of great power and respect; whatever you want to call it. This increased value over the years and the strong beliefs held in the hearts of these people will slowly fill this weapon with the ability to harm."

"I see." I respond simply, trying to process all the information she just relayed to me. _It's incredible, the way this world seems to work. But if this is how these weapons come to harm Heroic Spirits…_ "Near the end of the confrontation," I continue "I managed to actually harm the servant's body."

"How so?" Saber immediately probed me with the question, her serious eyes filled with concern. I lift my arrow up from the floor next to me and set it down in the middle of the table.

"This… was able to cut through her; easily." I watch as Saber stares at it knowingly and Irisviel just looks at it in confusion.

"This cute little arrow you've had since you were a kid?" Irisviel asks, perplexed. I frown at her referring to it as cute and continue watching Saber as she reaches towards it.

"The arrow you showed me yesterday… do you mind?" I nod at her, giving the ok to grab it. She picks it up, just as carefully as she did back then, and inspects it once more. "When you say that you 'cut through her', what exactly do you mean?" After hearing her question, I recall slicing her abdomen and shooting the bolt through her head. _Would they even believe me if I said that?_

"I cut her midsection with it. And I managed to shoot the upper-right section of her head with it." The two girls look quite shocked after hearing this and Saber places it back down on the table. As soon as she unhands it, Irisviel picks it up and starts looking at it curiously. _What, is this show-and-tell now?_

"Shirou!" Saber states sternly. I straighten up in my seat, feeling as though I'm about to be chastised. "I demand you tell me where you got this arrow." I feel slightly relieved that she doesn't seem to be angry, but I also frown at her inquiring about the origin of the arrow. _Actually… wait, why is it I'm so hesitant to say anything about it?_ I remember I felt the same way back when Archer asked; I didn't want to tell him how I happened upon it. _It feels odd… this strong compulsion to not talk about it…_

I look at Irisviel. She too is eagerly waiting on the edge of her seat for me to say how I found it. _Have I never even told Irisviel? Why…_ I shake my head to try and rid myself of the sudden haze of confusion that was fogging my mind.

"Ok, ok. I'll tell you, sure." Saber leans forward as though I'm about to whisper a secret amongst the three of us. "When I was younger, about a year after Irisviel adopted me, I had a habit of 'running away' from home a lot." Irisviel vehemently nods her head while pouting.

"That's right, he would always get so angry at the littlest of things and run off! He never left home for more than a day, but I was always running around town worried sick trying to find him. Thank God you grew out of that rebellious stage." I try to conceal my embarrassment from Irisviel regaling how childish I was back then and continue the story.

"Yes well… one of those days when I ran off, I went much farther than usual. I went to the east side of the city using the train and just kept walking. Why I did so, I cannot say. Because I don't remember why I did something so stupid. Regardless, once on the far side of the city, I reached the forest's edge and I ventured in. At first, there was a path… I-I think. And I continued down that path, but eventually I found myself to be lost, with no sign of the path. I panicked and ran all around the woods, not knowing which way to go. Back then, I didn't know how to use the sun to determine direction, and when I tried climbing a tree to find the city, I would reach the top just to see vast expanses of forest all around me." I pause when seeing Saber open her mouth to interject.

"How is it you went so far without realizing it?" I attempt to recall what my motive for doing so was but draw a blank.

"I-I'm not sure. I don't remember much from back then… Anyways, I continued wandering aimlessly until it drew well into the evening. At this point I just sat next to a random tree and hastily tried to figure out what the hell I'd do. Suddenly, I see a lone cherry blossom get swept past me by the wind. This was very strange because these flowers were not only not in season, but there were no trees that bore these flowers in the woods. Intrigued as to what it was doing out there, I followed it until it got caught in the branch of a tree. I climbed up the tree, grabbed the small flower, and dropped down. No sooner than my feet touch the ground I hear something running up behind me. I turn to see a man out of breath, slowly approaching me." The two suddenly seem very interested in the story, and as soon as I paused to take a sip of water, Irisviel hits me with a barrage of questions.

"Wh-What happened next? Did he try to kidnap you?! Did he try to hurt you?! WHY DO YOU MAKE ME WORRY?" She suddenly lunges at me across the table and I yelp as she tackles me to the floor. I struggle to push her off while she begs me to never run away again, with big crocodile tears pouring out her eyes.

"Irisviel, stop! Let me finish, he doesn't do anything bad!" She complies but remains seated next to me instead of returning to her side. I sigh and attempt to tug my arm away from her grasp before conceding after she tightens her grip.

"As I was saying, he came up to me out of breath and began thanking me. Thanking me for getting his flower. He told me he was a botanist/researcher and was out doing fieldwork. He asked me why I was out there. I told him that I was just going for a walk and had no idea how to get home, that I'd become lost. After contemplating for a moment, he told me that he wasn't done yet and couldn't help me get home, but that he still had to thank me somehow. So, he gave me an arrow," I gesture to the arrow "and told me that if I placed it on the ground and spun it, it would point in the direction of wherever I want to go." The two continue to stare at me expectantly. "What?"

"Did it work? Is that it?" Saber questions. I nod.

"Yeah. It took me well into the night, but I finally got home. Remember, Irisviel?" She nods in agreeance.

"Mhm, it only took a day full of frantic crying and searching and you came home." I avoid eye contact and try to mask my guilt with a weak laugh.

"Yes well, just like he said, when I followed the direction it pointed after spinning it, it led me home. Since then I've grown very fond of it. It's what made me take up archery. I'd occasionally shoot it, but not often." I decide to keep the whole "always hitting its mark" thing to myself, thinking it won't really add to the story.

"That's…" Saber states "the most intricately idiotic story I've ever heard." _Wh-what?_ I'm confused why she seems so heated about it. _Does she think I'm lying?_ "None of it makes sense. The flower, the random creep in the middle of the woods, and especially him giving you a magic compass!"

"Arrow." I correct her.

"Whatever it is! Why was it in the possession of a botanist?" I shrug, having no idea myself.

"It's just as confusing to me as it is to you, trust me. I'm not claiming it's a sensible story, but it's the one that happened." Despite Irisviel seeming to believe the story fully, Saber continues to rub her head in confusion as she tries to make sense of it.

"I just can't understand. What did this 'botanist' even look like?" I recall the visage of the man and remember how, back then, I was under the impression he was even more amazing than the arrow itself.

"Well… he had the clothes of a stereotypical botanist. A big white coat and a pair of black slacks and shirt underneath. He had long, white hair that seemed to spring to life under the sunlight… lavender eyes that dug into me like a knife. Even though I never got close to him, there was a strong scent of perfume and flora practically wafting off of him." After giving a thorough description, both of them don a shocked expression.

"Sh-Shirou!" Irisviel pipes up first. "The way you described this man… don't tell me… you swing that way?!"

"NO DAMMIT!" I ignore Irisviel after realizing she was shocked for a completely different reason than Saber. Saber appears deep in thought.

"Shirou…" she finally mutters "is there anything else strange about this man that you can recall? Besides how he looked?" I try to recall anything else strange. I think long and hard, having trouble remembering anything noticeable besides his characteristics and the arrow. _I suppose it was strange that he was chasing after a flower… flower? Oh yeah!_

"The only other thing I could think of that was strange was the fact he was chasing a cherry blossom. He must've been collecting them or something, for his research I guess; because when he walked away after giving me the arrow and taking the flower, even more fell out from his coat and scattered around his feet as he walked. I still have no idea where he was finding cherry blossoms at that time of year though…" Upon mentioning the man's inability to keep ahold of his flowers, Saber's eyes flash with realization, despite her face morphing into shocked disbelief.

"He's… no, impossible. There's no way…" Irisviel appears concerned towards Saber's confusion.

"Do you know someone matching that description, Saber?" Irisviel softly questions her while she regains her calm expression.

"Yes, I once knew a very irritating man who matches that description almost exactly. However, it couldn't have been him. That was long ago… Did this man give you a name, Shirou?" I shake my head.

"No, we barely even spoke. He basically thanked me and briefly told me about the arrow before leaving. All he said was that he was a botanist researcher doing some field work." She seems comforted by my answer and nods.

"Yes, I'm sure I'm making a mistake. It's just a giant coincidence." I'm interested to know who she's talking about, but I don't press further. _It doesn't seem like she wants to talk about it._

We continue talking a while longer about the servant; characteristics, how badly I damaged her, what direction it looked like she went, what class she could be, etc. While talking, I begin inspecting my right arm that had new bandages wrapped around it.

"Um, Irisviel?" She turns her attention to me after calling out her name. "I took off the cast you made for me without getting the ok first… so, sorry."

"Oh, that? I mean, it's ok, I suppose. Did it feel as though the bone was mended properly?" I shake my head.

"It did at first, but during my fight with the servant, it started aching really bad while I used my bow. The bone must've healed back unevenly or something… What about the stab wound the servant made? Were you able to fix it?" She nods.

"Compared to the pretzel arm Lancer gave you, healing that hole in your arm was easy. There's no need to keep the bandages on anymore." I smile in relief and pull the bandages off to unveil my right arm, seemingly unscathed. _Jeez, that healing magecraft sure is something…_ Irisviel giggles at the awe I'm displaying at her handiwork. "Don't worry, Shirou." She scooches closer to me and grabs me by my head. "I'm going to be sure to spend all day nursing you back to health." She slowly pulls my head down, despite me strongly resisting, and lays it onto her lap. "Just to be sure you're all better and healthy!" I glance at Saber with pleading eyes while Irisviel sifts her fingers through my hair like I'm a toddler.

"Not so fast, Irisviel." I silently thank her as she begins to chastise Irisviel. "You can't be afforded the luxury of pampering him all day. Don't forget, we've yet to go examine the locations Rin instructed us to. You as well Shirou; you promised her you would go check out the lake." I jolt up to my feet and nod in agreement while Irisviel pouts and boos.

"Fine then. However, let's hurry and go if we're going. We've lost a lot of daylight after having to wait for Shirou to wake up and then listen to his story." I frown at Irisviel. _I didn't_ make _you have to listen to what happened._

Irisviel and I leave the kitchen to go change into some clothes suitable for our trips. After a few minutes, we all regroup in the kitchen. I put a pot of coffee on the heater, wanting to bring a thermos with me for my trek.

"Well then," Saber begins towards Irisviel "shall we go?" Irisviel glances at me and turns to Saber.

"Saber, do you mind going ahead of me and waiting outside? I'll be just a minute." Saber appears confused at her request.

"For what reason? You said yourself Irisviel, we haven't much time-"

"Please, Saber." Irisviel interjects in a polite tone. "It's a request from your master." Saber nods without hesitation and begins walking out.

"Yes, my master." Once we hear the front door open and shut, I look at Irisviel in confusion.

"What do you want to discuss that's so important you had to make Saber leave?"

"I want to further discuss the injuries you received." She answers.

"My injuries? What about them?"

"Well, I suppose not the injuries specifically, but the healing process. I suspected when Lancer broke your arm, but after the wound from this other servant…" I become worried at her words.

"Wh-what's wrong? Am I going to die?" She shakes her head quickly at my assumption.

"No, no, it's nothing like that. Like I said, I was able to easily heal you. The problem is… Do you remember how I managed to save you from the Fuyuki fire?"

"No, not exactly. I recall you pulling me out and getting me to an ambulance. Did you use healing magic on me back then too?" She shakes her head.

"It wasn't healing magic. As I'm sure you've gathered, Saber was the servant of my late husband Kiritsugu in the previous war. We used a catalyst to summon her back then. It was an artifact that belonged to her long ago, an object that held immense healing capabilities. I cannot tell you the name, as it will most likely reveal her true name to you, which she has asked me to keep secret."

"I see… You used this artifact to heal me?"

"Essentially, yes. However, Saber was no longer contracted as a servant at the time and had been sent back to the throne." _Throne?_ "This made the healing abilities very limited. To be able to save you, I had to break down the artifact and mend it into your body." I followed along so far, but there were a few blanks I'm drawing.

"If that's the case, why'd you dismiss Saber just now. Shouldn't she be present considering this object is her's to begin with? And why are you bringing this up now?"

"I dismissed her because we kept the possession of her artifact a secret, she still doesn't know we even had it. I wouldn't have a problem telling her now, but the current condition of it is why I'm hesitating." _Current condition?_

"What do you mean by current condition?" I ask, worried.

"That's what I want to ask you, Shirou. Now that Saber has been summoned, even though you aren't in a contract to be her master, the healing capabilities of the relic should be stronger than ever. And yet, your broken arm didn't mend on its own at all, even after healing it myself you said the bone never corrected itself, and it couldn't close the flesh wound the servant made last night. In fact, as we carried you to your room, I could feel your conditioning worsening by the second. With Saber being right next to you, the complete opposite should happen." The realization dawns on me of what she's suggesting.

"You're saying it doesn't work anymore?" She shakes her head.

"That may be a possibility, but I think it's something else. I tried using my magic to sense its presence within your body after healing you… and I couldn't. In light of this, I want to ask you if at some point something has happened where someone was in a position where they could've extracted it from you or if you've given it away." I look at her, dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

"Irisviel, I only just found out that you put this thing in my body. How would I know if someone's taken it or if I lost it? From a quick analysis though, no I don't feel like there's chunks of broken-up magic healing rock inside of me." She giggles a bit and stands to her feet after my sarcastic joke.

"You wouldn't be able to feel it inside you, silly. It's not in a physical form at the moment… Oh well, I suppose I have to forget about it for now. However, we should discuss it extensively later; it's high priority that we figure out why it's not working or if you even have it anymore." I nod, still finding it difficult to swallow all this info.

Irisviel gives me a quick hug and turns to go meet Saber and head off to wherever Tohsaka asked them to. Before walking off she glances back at me and fidgets a bit.

"Is something wrong?" I ask. She faces me and pokes her cheek gently with her finger.

"How about a quick goodbye kiss?"

"Wh-" I frown at her and shake my head while pointing at the door.

"Shirouuu, don't be like that. With all these servants running around it's really dangerous out there. What if I don't make it back? The last memory you'll have will be denying your poor, sweet, caring-"

"Oh, jeez, alright!" I quickly butt my head forward and place my lips on her cheek for a split-second before yanking it back and turning away so that she couldn't see my raging blush. "There. A kiss. Go. You're making Saber wait for you." I hear her begin skipping out the room while laughing. Repeatedly, I curse myself for being made the instrument of her impish amusement once again.

The train ride is quiet, as there aren't many people riding it in the middle of the day like this. Usually, they're all at work or school at this time. _School…_ I realize that not only have I been missing archery practice, but I've been neglecting to even go to school on top of it. _I don't plan to go back anytime soon. Gotta stay close to Irisviel until this crazy thing is finally over._ I unscrew the cap of my thermos and take a long, drawn out sip of the coffee, ending with a content sigh.

The walk through the forest is much less pleasant than the train ride. Partially due to the bugs, partially due to the overgrown forest floor, but mostly because there isn't an actual trail or path to get to Horizon Creek; you can only find it if you know where it is. This is the reason it isn't very well-known; the people who know about it don't like talking about it and they make no efforts to make it more accessible. _Wait… why do I know so much about this stupid lake!?_

I begin to get worried I wouldn't be able to find it, especially since I don't even know if I've actually been there. My worries soon dissipate when I begin to see gleaming ripples between the trees ahead of me. I hasten my step, and soon the line of trees ends, and a clearing opens up to the medium-sized lake. _Actually, it'd be more appropriate to call it a pond… it isn't that big. Though, I suppose "Horizon Pond" doesn't have the same ring to it as "Horizon Creek"._

At this point, I'm standing next to the bank, not exactly sure what to do. _Dammit, I don't even know where to begin looking. I guess Tohsaka knew what she was saying…_ I feel a familiar jolt up my spine and turn to see Archer materialize a few feet behind me.

"Oh boy, look who's here. What, did you follow me?" He nods while walking up and standing next too me at the bank.

"Indeed. All the way from your house to here." I give him a disturbed look, feeling that to be a little creepy.

"What, were you eavesdropping on us?"

"No, not exactly, though it's hard not to hear what you guys are saying when you talk so loud and obnoxiously."

"Are you here just to roast me?" He laughs and shakes his head.

"No, I figured you'd be fumbling around like an ignorant baby when you got here, so I decided to come lend my assistance and help look for clues." What a strange mixture of appreciation and irritation I'm feeling.

"Did Tohsaka send you?" He shakes his head.

"No. After checking out a few places throughout last night, she passed out on her bed this morning and told me to let her sleep in. When I asked her if I was to stand by, she told me to do whatever I want. So, here I am." _Wow, I'm so overjoyed you seem to like spending all your free time stalking me._

After spending a bit more time with our passive-aggressive bantering, we finally get down to business and start searching the area. It at first seems pretty mundane, just a pretty body of water with average surroundings. Upon closer inspection however, things prove to be quite strange.

Just as Tohsaka said, there are skeletons of wild game such as boars and rabbits picked completely clean. They're not scattered around, either. They're all in a deep pit, next to a circle of arranged stones that clearly functions as a makeshift fireplace. No bad odor is being exuded from the remains, which indicates they were thoroughly cleaned in one sitting, not broken down and degraded over time.

It doesn't take long before Archer finds another interesting clue. Up in a tree, directly on top of a canopy of leaves so that no one can see from the ground, are the hides of the animals in question, strung across the branches. Most of the hair has withered away and some are even stuck onto the bark. _These were left up here to dry, but whoever put them seems to have neglected to ever pick them back up._

Within a nearby, hollowed tree, I find a strange stash inside. A bunch of old comic books and a few bags of chips, even some candy. I turn to Archer who's joined me in staring at the little stash. "Well, what do you make of this, Archer?"

"What I 'make of this' is that this is nothing more than a hobo camp that seems to have been abandoned years ago." I nod, agreeing that we haven't seen anything explicitly out of the ordinary so far.

"Well, didn't Tohsaka say something about broken trees and craters in the ground? Maybe we should try and find those." Archer nods and looks to the other side of the lake.

"We've looked in this area quite thoroughly; if such evidence is here, it will be on the opposite side." I nod and follow the speedy servant after carefully putting the old belongings back in the tree.

It took quite a bit more detective work to find these craters and shattered trees, and that's because they've almost been completely covered up by nature. There are indeed craters, but we had to pull out weeds to find some of them and identify the now-puddles as the remnants of the rest. The shattered trees were equally hard to find because the fallen upper trunks had become logs that'd begun to wither from age, while the lower halves were rooted in the ground with new sprouts jutting out from the splintered trunk. Basically, it's hard to consider what we found "craters" and "shattered trees" anymore. I look at Archer in confusion.

"Uh, how long ago did Tohsaka hear the rumor about all this?" He shrugs his shoulders while walking away from the pitiful evidence and back out to the clearing by the lake.

"It had probably been circulating and my master only just caught wind of it recently… Honestly, she should look into things more before sending people on a goose chase. Let's just hope the same didn't happen with Saber and Irisviel." I nod in agreement but can't help thinking about the remnants of what we found.

"Still though… they may be old, but it's quite obvious when you look closely that something caused all that damage back there. It looks like a miniature meteor shower hit the place. Do you think it was caused by humans?" He shakes his head.

"I don't think so. Quite honestly, it looks like the aftermath of a servant battle. Albeit, a servant battle that took place years ago. In short, no servants in this war could've caused it. However, that doesn't make it an improbable notion. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a Grail War took place here before about 10 years ago, yes?" I confirm his question with a brief nod.

"Yes, according to Irisviel."

"Well then, that must be our explanation. A tussle between the servants in that war must've broken out here." Yes, that must be it. _That makes sense… but it still sucks that we didn't learn anything from this._

I look across the lake after standing in silence with Archer. The body of water was unnaturally clear, and I didn't see any reflections atop it, instead I saw straight through to the rocky bottom. _"You can see a horizon clearly reflected", huh?_ I decide it's about time we should head back. However, before I turn and take my first step, I stop myself when I see a tree that stands out from the rest, right on the bank of the lake. _A willow tree?_

Curious, I walk towards it, to which Archer questions what the hell I'm doing. Ignoring him, I crouch beneath the long, ribbon-like leaves and arrive at the trunk. I plop down against the base and lean back, before finally staring out across the water through the veil of leaves. _…wow._

At this point, Archer has walked next to me, looking at me like I'm an idiot.

"Care to explain what you're doing?" I laugh weakly at his question, not really knowing myself.

"Archer?" I call out his name and after a brief pause he hums in response. "Do you know why they call this place Horizon Creek?" I hear him sigh in annoyance, clearly not interested in the name of it.

"No, I didn't even know it existed until you and Rin discussed it yesterday."

"Well," I continue "apparently when the sun rises in the east over there," I point to the opposite end of the lake "the water below reflects the image of it, showing another horizon on the water."

"Yeah, great. Whoop-dee-doo." I glare at him and his apathetic stance to what I'm saying.

"AND," I continue "for whatever reason, throughout the rest of the day, the sun remains stuck in that one spot, even though it's been moving across the sky all day. However, you can only see this if you sit underneath this willow tree and look; the sun looks like it's frozen in a horizon from this angle until it disappears from the sky completely and it becomes nighttime. That's why it's called Horizon Creek."

I look up again at Archer who, despite scoffing at what I said, has leaned down slightly so that he could look at the surface from the right angle. His eyes widen in shock, but he quickly stands back to his feet and straightens out when he notices me watching him.

"So…" he starts "so it would seem… Where did you hear about that?" I gaze across the water, remembering the dream and the vivid scene between the two boys.

"It's just something I heard once." He sighs and kicks a pebble on the bank into the water in front of us.

"Well…" he states "it's a very interesting mystery. I-I guess."

"And it's complete bullshit." I respond.

"Wh-what?" He asks, slightly taken aback.

"The myth originated one day from a fisherman who brought his girlfriend out here on their first date. He had frequented this spot before and was one of the few who knew about the lake. One day, he spent the entire day fishing beneath this very tree." I gesture upwards to the branches of the willow. "He noticed that early in the morning, and late in the afternoon, a specific spot on the water" I point to the reflection showing the dawning horizon "appeared almost exactly the same with it's reflection of the sunset as it did with its reflection of the sunrise." Archer now looks slightly irritated that I managed to trick him with something that simple. _Oh, just wait. It gets worse._

"The fisherman" I continue "decided to make up a story about how the lake was magical and that it captured the reflection of the sun at dawn and kept it there all throughout the day until nighttime, but you could only see it if you sat beneath this willow tree. He then strategically planned a date with his girlfriend right at sunset, then fed her the bit to try and get her to join him under the willow tree and make it all very romantic so that he could get in her pants. It worked with great effect. So, he shared the idea with all his buddies and ever since, it's been a closely guarded secret used to bang naïve girls." I look up at Archer to see a brutal scowl on his face.

I expect him to begrudgingly applaud me for pulling one over on him, but instead he flicks me on my eye.

"AHG! DAMMIT!" I shriek, cradling my eye and spasming on the dirt. I look with my, newly-made, good eye to see his frown had evolved into a smile. "Screw you!" I shout.

"Oh, calm down, I didn't flick you that hard. From what I heard, you did something much worse to that servant's eye." I pause my angry tirade to stare at him in confusion, wondering how he knew about that. I then recall that he was eavesdropping on us when we were discussing that this morning, and my angry tirade resumes.

"Ugh, how much did you listen in on?!" He ponders for a moment and begins walking away while dematerializing before answering me.

"I think I stopped listening in when you gave your mommy a goodbye kiss. Because I fell off the roof from laughing my ass off." I lunge at him and swing at his smug face just as he completely vanishes. After my fist is met with nothing but air I turn and hit the willow tree instead, suddenly feeling pissed off at it too. I shake off my anger and begin walking across the clearing to leave the stupid date-bait pond.

After walking through the forest for a while, I finally see the gravel road that leads out of it and into town. Throughout my walk back, Archer never reappeared, probably because he heard me declaring how I was gonna slug him the next time I saw his face. When I step out onto the gravel road, I realize the sun had almost finished setting and I would soon be out of daylight. I hasten my pace to arrive at the train station and occasionally glance at the sunset as I do so. _I wonder though… I knew the story about the name of the lake from that dream… but how'd I know the story about the fisherman and why it's a hoax?_


	13. Chapter 13

I exhale heavily as my bare back hits the top of the cold, wooden floor below. I shiver slightly, and goosebumps dapple the sides of my arms and the back of my neck.

"Shirou…" Irisviel whispers to me "are you nervous?" I shake my head.

"Not really… I just didn't expect you to push me down on the floor immediately…" She giggles playfully and slowly traces her fingers along my arm until her hand rests atop my own.

"But of course I pushed you down immediately. We have to be quick, there's not much time; Saber is waiting for you in the dojo, remember?" She picks up my hand and places it against her chest before wrapping her other arm around it to hold it closely.

"A-Actually, Irisviel… on second thought, I don't think I'm ready for this." She smiles at me warmly and leans down so that her mouth is only a short distance from my ear.

"Don't worry, sweetheart." She breathes hotly into my ear. "I've done this before… just leave everything to mama." As soon as she whispers out the last word, she swiftly snaps the ulna bone of my right arm that she has trapped in a bear hug.

"AGH!" I shout and flinch from the sudden snap and jolt of pain.

"I-I'm almost done Shirou! Just sit still!" I nod while biting my lower lip, trying to hold back tears. _It's a lot more painful when you don't have adrenaline pumping…_ She quickly casts the soft glow of her healing magic on the arm after shifting the bone around a bit and it doesn't take long for the tension in my body to dissipate.

"Ahh… that's better." I sigh in relief as the source of pain vanishes and wait patiently while Irisviel inspects the arm.

"I thiiiiink- yep, that should do it. Thankfully only one bone was still messed up; otherwise, that would've hurt a lot more." I nod in agreement and wait patiently for Irisviel to get off of me. After she just stares at me blankly and makes no indication of moving, I stand up and she yelps while rolling off my lap. "Shirou! Why'd you do that! It was comfy on your lap." I frown at her while walking to my closet to find a clean shirt to put on.

"You said it yourself, Saber's waiting for me. I don't have time to waste being your chair." She grumbles in frustration before standing up and leaving the room.

After hearing her leave the doorway, I quickly check to make sure she's gone… but no. She's standing outside the room, looking in with a pout.

"Why are you in such a tissy?" I nervously ask. She glares at me and sticks her tongue out before stomping away. _What did I do?_

I flex my re-healed hand tentatively while walking to the dojo. _It's back to normal now, I think._ It isn't easy to tell, so I probably won't know for sure until I try taking some shots with my bow again.

While inspecting my appendage, I glance out the hallway's window to see the sun that's almost done setting. Memories of Horizon Creek flash through my mind.

After returning from my short journey, I found Irisviel and Saber made it home before me. I immediately pressed Saber to train me, but Irisviel insisted I go with her to have my Ulna bone reset. For whatever reason, she was oddly insistent with me going with her, despite me protesting that I wanted Saber to train with me first. In the end, I adhered to her wishes, as always, but still… _Then she got all mad when I left to go meet Saber. Seriously, what's her deal?_

Upon entering the dojo, I'm surprised to see the dust has all been cleaned up and the lights are on. _Jeez, this place looks good as new._ Saber waits in the middle of the dojo on her knees with two Shinai next to her.

"Ah, Shirou." She calls out upon noticing I've arrived. "You're finally here. Did Irisviel adjust your bone already?" I nod and roll up my sleeve to display my arm to her. "I see. Does it feel alright?"

"Yeah it's not bothering me anymore." I hoist up the bow I brought and wrap my hand around the grip. "However, the best way to tell is to give it a test run." She nods.

"Indeed so," she answers, "but not with that bow." I look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She rises to her feet with a shinai in each hand. She tosses me one and I drop the bow to grab it.

"I want to check something first. So, if you don't mind entertaining me, I want to see your skills with the sword." _She wants to check "something"?_

"I mean yeah, I guess we can spar with these first. Can I ask what you're so curious about though?" She wraps her hands around the handle and readies her stance.

"When you told us what happened yesterday," she answers "you said you interlocked blades with the servant and came out on top from it. It's already hard to believe that, given you're just a normal human, but it's even stranger when I hear you say that you're a bowman and lack proper training with the sword." _I figured as much… it seems like she doesn't fully believe what I claimed._

"Fine, but you'll regret doubting me." As soon as I get my hands around the handle, Saber lunges at me. I don't have time to block. She jabs the tip of her shinai into my forehead and shoves me back. "Ugh!" I fall back on my hand and jump up to my feet.

"Hmph." She resumes her stance while slowly sidestepping. "That was a pretty terrible reaction time, but your recovery was superb."

I rush at her and begin swinging wildly. Every swing I make, she blocks and parries seamlessly.

"Are you serious, Shirou?" She parries my next strike and swats me in my stomach.

"D-Dammit!" I fall back and rub my stomach gingerly. _For a girl, she hits like a truck._ She frowns at me and breaks her stance while sighing.

"Shirou…" _What? Why does she looks so disappointed?_ "You have no form at all, you're just swinging blindly." I shake my head.

"Maybe that _is_ my form, Saber. Besides, I told you I don't know anything about fighting with a sword." She unhands her shinai and lets it fall to the floor. "What? What do you think you're doing?" She shakes her head.

"You told me I would regret doubting you, and I'd hoped you were telling the truth. If this is how you fight though, it really makes me doubt the validity of your encounter with that servant." I already held suspicions that this was how she felt but hearing her say it really pisses me off.

"You doubt the validity? So, what? You think I made up the whole story? That I made that hole in my arm myself?" She shakes her head.

"I don't doubt you encountered a servant; I doubt how the encounter unfolded." Now, I drop my own shinai and I begin stomping to the doorway to pick up my bow and leave.

"Think whatever you want, I don't care. Just remember that an arrow is a lot different from a sword. And my bow is what helped me finish her, not my swordplay!" I reach down to grab my bow.

"If this is how you fight with a sword…" she responds, "I doubt your skills in any capacity of fighting can be very good." My hand freezes an inch away from my bow. I turn to look at her, feeling my anger beginning to peak. "That includes archery."

I walk to the rack on the wall. I grab another Shinai. I approach Saber as she looks at me curiously.

"En garde." I state. Her eyes light up with enthusiasm and she reaches down to reclaim her own weapon.

"I see I struck a soft spot." She enters her stance. "I'm glad you're not fini-" I take one giant bound to cover the remaining gap between us. Both of my hands tighten around the grip. I turn to the left midair and lower the wooden sword. I stomp my right foot firmly on the ground.

Saber takes a vertical strike instead of defending. I feel the handle crack under the weight of my grip. I swing up to meet Saber's own strike. In the last moment I grit my teeth and put everything into my swing. _Break through!_

Our swords collide, and I feel my wrists jam, but I don't pause. I push. Saber's face lights up in surprise as the sword gets pried from her fingers and knocked out. I release my grip on my own and let it fly away too.

"How?" She asks in disbelief. My mind stays honed on the heat of the moment and I turn on my heel while cocking my right arm back. While caught up in shock, Saber doesn't realize my fist is flying right at her.

My already aching, jammed wrist screams even louder in pain as my knuckle collides into Saber's jawline. She falters and takes a step back. I retract my burning hand and bound a step back before affixing my gaze onto her, anticipating her next move.

After waiting a moment longer, Saber finally raises her left hand up. She reaches up to her face before gingerly touching the cheek I hit.

"Tch!" She whimpers, ever so quietly, after brushing her finger against the affected area. Upon hearing her stifled, surprisingly girlish, whine, realization dawns upon me. _I-I just punched a girl! In the face!_

"Saber, I-I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean… I didn't mean to." My jumbled apology apparently doesn't reach her, as she continues to rub her finger on the spot where I struck her.

"It… hurt." She finally mumbles. Guilt spills out of my heart and pools throughout me after hearing her words.

"I'm sorry Saber, that was so stupid of me. I didn't mean to hurt you." She pulls her hand down and stares at it inquisitively while I continue begging for forgiveness. "I guess I let my temper get the best of me. Even though we were sparring, there's still a line not to cross…" Finally, she responds to me by shaking her head.

"Please, pay it no mind, Shirou. 'Hurt' wasn't quite the appropriate word to use. I should've said it stung." Her face reassumes its normal, composed visage.

I feel slightly relieved to see that she doesn't seem fazed by it. _I suppose it wasn't painful. I must've just surprised her._ Saber walks a few steps away and gathers the two shinai I slung from our grips. _Yeah, that must be it. After all, things like punches and normal arrows can't harm a servant._

My time in the dojo with Saber continues to drag on into the night. I was taken aback when, after the incident where I decked her in the face, Saber insisted we continue. For the past few hours she's been instructing me on combat tactics, placement during a fight, and extra information about the Grail War.

She continues to fervently spout out piles of information onto me while I struggle to keep up. _What's with this history lesson? I just wanted help practicing with my bow…_

"Saber? Shirou?" Saber pauses her lecture after we hear a voice call quietly from the doorway. We turn to see Irisviel peeking in from behind the door. "Can we eat yet? It's way past dinner time…" As soon as Irisviel mentions food, I hear a loud, angry growl erupt from Saber's stomach. She reacts by blushing and covering her, apparently hungry, stomach.

"Uh, yeah. You're right, dinner sounds like a great idea." I respond to Irisviel while standing to my feet. "That is, if it's ok with you, Saber." She joins me in standing while nodding.

"I suppose we can take a break for some food… since you insist." I smile at her vain attempt to seem uninterested in food.

Saber walks to the door and joins Irisiviel while I gather up the shinai to return to the rack. As I place them back on their wooden hangers, I notice the handle of one is crooked. I grab the bent handle and wiggle it slightly to confirm it is indeed broken. _I thought I felt it crack earlier when I swung at Saber… Oh well, must've been too worn down and old._ I hang it up regardless and walk to join the girls outside the dojo.

When we enter the kitchen, I notice our unwelcomed guest has returned. Tohsaka sits at the table, contently drinking tea.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, sounding slightly more agitated than I meant to.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Emiya." She responds with an equal amount of agitation in her tone. "I came here to follow up on the leads I sent you all to check out. So that we may then discuss our next move." I grumble in response while walking to the kitchen to throw together some food.

"Please pardon Shirou's manners, Rin." Saber states while taking a seat at the table. "He's quite exhausted and grouchy. I've been training him throughout today. I apparently went too far with my teasing, too."

"What do you mean?" Tohsaka inquires.

"In an attempt to get him pumped up, I mocked his fighting capabilities. He responded by striking me on the cheek." I stare at her in shock from how she just painted me out as a villain.

"Shirou!" Irisviel shouts. "How could you punch Saber?!" I stammer to answer while Irisviel glares at me from the dining room. I glance at Saber, to which she responds by sticking her tongue out and pulling down her lower eyelid. _You she-devil! I thought we were past our little feud!_

Despite Irisviel glaring daggers at me for my, overly-inflated, mistake, Tohsaka didn't say anything about it. In fact, she didn't react to what Saber said at all. She's just staring down into her teacup, apparently lost in thought.

After finally calming down Irisviel and explaining what happened, I finish making our meal. It's just a simple hamburger steak with grilled peppers, but it's also one of Irisviel's favorites.

I finish arranging the plates before lining the four of them on my arms and stepping into the dining room. Each of the recipients take their plate and thank me… except for one. I stare at Tohsaka in annoyance as she places her plate on the table, looking at it with discontent.

"There a problem, Tohsaka?" She glances up at me from her plate.

"Nope, but I could use some ketchup, while you're up." I clench my fist and grumble out some not-so-polite things while backtracking to the kitchen to get the princess her ketchup. After returning, she takes it from my hand without saying anything.

"Isn't there something you should say?" I ask, impatiently.

"Oh! You're right." She responds, before looking across the table to Irisviel. "How did you and Saber's investigation go? Did it yield any good results?" I grit my teeth and walk around the table to take my seat next to Irisviel, before Tohsaka's impoliteness makes me bust a vein.

"Hmmm, well…" Irisviel begins, while tapping her fork against the rim of her plate. "We checked all the locations but didn't find anything explicitly out of the ordinary." I take a bite of my steak.

"I see… that's too bad." Tohsaka responds, sounding disheartened. Irisviel questions her while Saber and I continue to diminish our steaks.

"What about you, Rin? Did your search tell you anything?" Tohsaka nods.

"Yes… I was lucky enough to happen upon an apartment complex that had a 'gas leak' only moments before I arrived. Once inside, I checked on some of the inhabitants and confirmed my suspicion. Caster has been going to these densely populated buildings and siphoning the mana of the inhabitants." Irisviel's expression morphs into concern and grief.

"Just as we feared…" She murmurs.

"That's not all." Tohsaka continues. "While inside, some of Caster's familiars attacked me. They were all some kind of bone golem. They weren't too strong, but they were quite numerous." I look to Irisviel while taking another huge bite of my steak.

"So, she can summon these bone warriors, probably from a great distance away… There's no telling how far from the building she was when she summoned them to fight you." I jab my fork at the plate to get another bite, but instead I'm met only with a clink as the fork scrapes against the empty plate.

 _Huh? That's all I had?_ I stare at my plate in slight disbelief, shocked at how quickly I finished it. _Dammit, I'm still hungry._ I sigh before picking up my cup of tea to take a sip. _Odd, I've never eaten very much, and one plate is normally enough to fill me up._

"There's one other thing." Tohsaka begins. "I went to the street in front of the school, where Saber said she found the giant sword gash in the street. Other than the gash itself, there didn't seem to be anything else of merit… until I found a stray arrow." I choke on my sip of tea.

The three girls look at me in concern as I cough and pound my chest to get the liquid out of my lungs.

"Sh-Shirou!" Irisviel yelps, her eyes brimming with worry. She hastily rubs my back as I finish belting out the liquid I'd accidentally inhaled.

I wipe the corner of my mouth with my napkin while Irisviel continues to rub my back, despite me having finished choking. I stare across the table at Saber, who also looks at me in concern, and to Tohsaka, who's just staring at me knowingly after seeing my reaction to what she said.

"Are you alright?" Saber questions. I nod.

"Yeah… it just went down the wrong pipe is all." I answer, trying to sound convincing.

"If you say so…" Saber turns back to Tohsaka. "Anyways, as you were saying Rin." She shakes her head.

"Nothing. I was just saying there was an arrow near the gash in the street. I thought it was interesting at first, but after investigating it seemed like it was just a stray shot from the school's archery range." Saber and Irisviel both seem to buy what she says, but I can tell by the way she's still looking at me. _It's a farce, she thinks it was my arrow. And after the way I reacted to hearing her mention it, she's probably sure of it now… I knew I should've picked it up after fighting Berserker! Dammit, think, think! I need to change the topic before she gets more suspicious._

"I-I suppose you want to hear what I found at Horizon Cree-"

"No, that's alright." Tohsaka responds, cutting me off. "Archer already gave me a full report on what happened. He accompanied you there, no?" I bite my tongue and nervously nod.

"Well, in that case," Saber begins "let's move on to the next topic of interest." _Wait! Saber! Please don't say what I think you're about to say!_ "Shirou ran into, and fought, a servant!" _GOD DAMMIT!_

"Oh, did he now?" Tohsaka queries, her knowing eyes dragging away from me and affixing to Saber. Saber nods.

"Indeed. She wielded two stakes affixed to chains and tried to kill him by luring him into a trap. Because of this, Irisviel and I think the servant may have been Assassin." Tohsaka turns her gaze back to me.

"Interesting."

"Indeed." Saber continues. "Shirou even claims he managed to inflict some damage on her, though I can't confirm the validity of the statement."

"Very interesting…" Tohsaka mumbles. I glance at Saber, giving her the most dire and disappointed look I can muster. _You betrayed me…_

"Well then!" Tohsaka states, standing to her feet. I stare at her expectantly, anticipating her telling the other two that I was involved with the servant who caused that gash. "I'm hitting the sack early, goodnight everyone!" Saber, Irisviel, and I all look at her in confusion.

"Eh? Already?" Irisviel asks in disbelief. "It's still pretty early. And I thought you said you wanted to make a game plan ASAP?" Tohsaka stretches her arms out over her head and lets out a, obviously fake, yawn.

"I did." She mumbles. "But I'm a lot sleepier than I thought I'd be, so I'm gonna go ahead and sleep. You all should hurry to bed too! I want everyone bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning for our strategy meeting!" With that, she steps around the table and out of the room.

I drop my head to the table and let out a pathetic groan.

"Are you not feeling well, Shirou?" Irisiviel worriedly asks while placing her chin atop the table, next to mine.

"I'm just tired, Irisviel." I mumble. She frowns, apparently thinking there's more to it than that, but doesn't press further. Saber pushes her plate across the table and in front of my face.

"Shirou! Seconds please!" She firmly states. I glance next to her to see Tohsaka's serving, barely even touched.

"There's your seconds right there." I mumble while pointing to the plate. After letting out a pleased "ah!", she grabs the plate and begins digging in. Watching her savor the food makes me begin fidgeting as my stomach lightly growls. "Irisviel, can I trust you to take care of the dishes?" She looks at me with her signature pouty expression.

"Whaaa? I don't wanna. Why can't you do them?" I rise to my feet, anxious to distance myself from the alluring smell of Saber's second plate.

"I wanted to go practice in the yard now so that I can go to bed a little bit earlier."

"Huh? Didn't you just spend hours practicing with Saber?"

"Yeah, but we didn't so much as look in the direction of a bow. She was too insistent on practicing with swords and history lessons." Despite me complaining about the method of her teaching, Saber doesn't react, being too caught up with her food. Irisviel sighs with a weary look on her face, as though I'm asking her to do some arduous, daunting task.

"Fine…" She finally mumbles. "But only if you keep your word and try to go to bed early! And you owe me for this!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." I frown while quickly stepping out of the dining room.

After turning on the spotlight, I walk to my usual spot and ready the bow. The braided strand of Berserker's hair slightly billows in the windy night air as I line up with the target.

I draw an arrow from my quiver. After nocking it, I pull the bowstring back and release. It flies seamlessly through the air and hits the straw target. _Hm, like I thought, that was pretty easy._ The difficulty in drawing the bowstring that first time seems like a distant, bad memory now. _Perhaps I was just imagining it back then…_ I reach to draw another arrow but pause when I feel a familiar chill run throughout me.

"Archer." I call out while turning to face him. Sitting on the back porch, sure enough, is Archer.

"Shirou Emiya." He grumbles in return. I furrow my eyebrows at him, suddenly getting pissed from staring at his face. "Wow, what an expression. I know you're not crazy about me, but you could at least try to hide your contempt."

"Nah, I'd rather make a sour face at you. Thanks for bringing Tohsaka to the aftermath of my encounter with Berserker, by the way. I bet you just couldn't wait to dig up my crossbow bolt and show it to her." He scoffs at my comment while jumping off the porch, onto his feet.

"Oh please. Why would I have any interest in tattling on you? If anything, I covered for you. I tried to dissuade her from checking out the place and even played dumb when she found the arrow. That you so carelessly left behind, might I add. You should thank your lucky stars she didn't find the remnants of the crossbow, too." I grumble while turning back to the target to continue practicing, not believing his explanation but also not wanting to continue talking to him.

Eventually, Archer walks to stand next to me and observe while I shoot at the target. I frown under the weight of his cold gaze but continue shooting anyways.

"I take it the bow is to your liking?" He suddenly asks. I nod.

"Yeah, it works surprisingly well. I had a little trouble at first, but now it fits like a glove."

"Hmph, that right? Your shooting seems pretty mundane to me. How about showing me something actually impressive?" I feel a headache coming on from the obnoxious spirit's excessive blabbering.

"What's with you servants poking fun at my archery? I'm sorry I can't bench press cars or whatever it is you do." He laughs at my obviously annoyed tone.

"Oh, come on, I'm just asking you to up the ante. Show me what you can do." I pull out an arrow and ready it after his suggestion. _Alright, I'll show you what I can do. I'm pulling out all the stops. I don't have all three quivers, but I can probably make do with just one._

"If you insist…" I respond while drawing the bowstring back. After taking a sharp inhale, I release my grip on the string. _Next one!_

My hand swats down and rips the next arrow from the quiver. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6! Out of instinct, my hand darts down once again. _And one more!_

I fasten it and yank my arm back, releasing my grip as soon as I've drawn it the optimal length. I exhale heavily while watching the arrow lodge itself on a line separating one of the target's white rings from its neighboring red one. _I didn't count, but I assume that was less than 10 seconds._ I turn to Archer, who's staring at the target with a slight furrow in his brows.

"How was… that, Archer?" He frowns at my question. Instead of answering, he raises his hand in front of him. A blue glow emanates from his palm, similar to when he constructed the bow for me. Within his hand forms a long, black bow.

He hoists the bow up and raises his opposite hand to the string, within which holds a crimson arrow. I watch in confusion as he pulls the string back and aims at the target. He releases his grip. The arrow rips free from the bow and darts towards the target, letting off a small gust as the bow snaps back into shape.

I watch in awe as the arrow glows briefly, before splitting apart into 10, no, 15 more projectiles, in a tight cluster. They all collide into the target, mimicking its shape perfectly. Instead of halting upon impact, the arrows rip through, tearing the straw target to shreds, before shooting into the bamboo stalks behind it.

"You… ASSHOLE!" I shout out and turn my infuriated eyes to the Heroic Spirit. "You destroyed my target! Do you have any idea how much those things cost!? That one was supposed to last me for the next few months!" Archer nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders while his bow dissipates from his grasp.

"My apologies." He states while donning a smug grin. "I held back, but I suppose it still wasn't enough. I must not know my own strength." I glare at him, feeling angry enough to commit several different felonies on him.

"I get it, you're trying to belittle me aren't you!?" He turns his gaze from me while whistling innocently. I almost spout off about how I'm gonna kick his ass, when realization dawns upon me. "Ohhh, I get it." His high-and-mighty expression dissipates.

"Get what?"

"You wanted me to show you what I was capable of, thinking I couldn't do anything of merit. Then I plucked my string a little faster than you'd bargained. Instead of admitting I'd surpassed your expectations, you wanted to try and show me up." Archer begins stammering at my assumption.

"Wh-What? That's not true, I just wanted to show how you pale in comparison to a-"

"Yeah, I think I'm spot on." I continue, cutting him off. "In fact, you must be even worse than me, right? You didn't exhibit any skill or anything, you just shot a magic arrow that can split apart. I suppose that means you have to compensate your lack of skill with magic." His expression became progressively more peeved as I continue to press his buttons.

"Now listen here, you little punk!" He begins, while pointing at me. "I could absolutely smear you when it comes to archery, even without my magic. No, especially without my magic! And if you doubt me then let's settle it right here and now!" I stomp my foot, feeling myself lose my cool again at his challenge.

"We can't! You broke the target, dumbass!" His face grows flush at my reminder of him childishly destroying my target.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this." He begrudgingly mumbles. "I can't believe I let myself lose my cool over a child's taunting." After regaining his cool, he jumps up onto the roof while slowly fading away.

"Yeah, that's right!" I shout up to him. "Ruuuun away!" I laugh triumphantly as he vanishes, enjoying the still-bitter expression on his face. _Serves you right!_ After confirming he's gone, I pull an arrow out of my quiver and turn to… the shredded remnants of my target. _Dammit…_

After retrieving the arrows and bagging up what's left of my target, I drop my bow, quiver, and bagged-up target in the shed before heading inside. I use the illumination from my phone to traverse the house. _I wish every once and a while Irisviel would leave the lights on for me._

I quietly tiptoe past Irisviel's door, careful to make sure I don't wake her. After tiptoeing a while longer, I finally arrive at the door to my room. _Whew, time for a nice, long rest._

I walk in, fumble around until I find the outlet with my phone charger, plug my phone in, and roll across the floor until I flop over onto my futon. I drag my hand up and shove it beneath my pillow to ensure my lucky arrow is still where I left it. After wrapping my hand around the familiar, wooden shaft I let out a content sigh.

"*yawn* nighty night." I mumble while retracting my hand from beneath the pillow.

"Who said you can go to sleep?" My eyes tear open upon hearing a voice respond to me. I see a shadow fall out from the closet to my left and descend upon me.

"AGHHHHHH!?" I shout in terror and sit straight up as it falls onto my lap. Two cold hands reach up and press against my mouth, pushing me back down against my futon.

"Sh-SHH! Don't scream! You'll make everyone think something's wrong!" The mystery person desperately tries to get me to quiet down.

"Mm mmph?" _Wait, I know that voice!_ I reach up and yank the hands covering my mouth away. "Tohsaka? What are you doing in here?" Despite not being able to see her face, I can tell from the scoff and flip of her hair that she's acting as though it should be obvious.

"Waiting for you, idiot! What took so long? I've been in here for hours." _That's creepy!_

"I was practicing with my bow for a while. I do it every night. I also had an argument with your cheeky servant." Feeling self conscious, I push Tohsaka off my lap and scuttle back to the door. Upon arriving, I reach up and flick the light switch next to it on.

"Why were you out there wasting time like that?" She angrily questions while glaring at me. "Didn't you get my hint? I said to go to bed extra early! As in, come to your room ASAP, we need to talk." _How was I supposed to catch that?_ I notice that instead of the red shirt and skirt she was wearing earlier, Tohsaka is now sporting yellow, button-up pajamas with a cat pattern. "I mean seriously…" She continues. "Do you know how boring it was waiting in here? There's nothing to do in here, your room is so plain. There aren't even any porno mags."

"WHO DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?!" I angrily spit out at her. "More importantly, why are you waiting up in here for hours and going through my stuff? That's weird!" She vehemently shakes her head while blushing.

"Nuh uh! It's your fault for making me wait so long." I rub my temple in annoyance, realizing that there's no arguing with this girl.

"What do you want Tohsaka?" I go straight to the point.

"Do I even need to say it? What are you doing going off at night to fight servants?" _I figured that's what she wanted._ I let my gaze drift around the room, debating whether I should feign ignorance or try to make light of my involvement. "Hey! Don't try to conjure up a story! Just be honest with me." I sigh in defeat.

"Alright, alright, fine. You win, I'll spill the beans."

I regale the stories of me encountering both Berserker and the pink-haired servant. I make sure to emphasize how both times were mostly accidental, that I wasn't necessarily out hunting servants at night. I even come clean about the little girl, Berserker's master, who's identical to Irisviel.

"I see…" Tohsaka finally mumbles after I finish giving all the details. "And why'd you think it was a good idea to keep Berserker a secret from us?"

"Hey now, I never said I thought it was a good idea. It's just what I chose to do. It's clear to me Irisviel is related to this child, yet she's never said anything. I figured when she's ready, she'll come clean about her." Tohsaka frowns at my reasoning and looks at me like I'm a buffoon.

"That's so childish. We're at war, Emiya. Literally. We don't have time to be considerate about feelings and whatnot. It's not a convenience we're allowed."

"Whatever you say, Tohsaka. Do what you want. You can tell her about Berserker and the kid, but I'd appreciate it if you kept it between us." She shakes her head.

"No, I have to tell her. She's my teammate in this war, we have to be on the same page at all times… However, I can bend the truth a little and say Archer and I ran into Berserker and his master instead of you, if you'd like." I smile at the suggestion and not in agreement.

"Awesome, thanks Tohsaka. You're not so bad after all." She gets noticeably frazzled by my comment and glares at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I laugh at her anger, feeling it suited her more than the generosity she just displayed. "Whatever, on to the next subject. If I'm understanding you correctly, you encountered, not one, but two servants who wanted to kill you and survived both encounters? I find that hard to believe."

"Believe whatever you want, but that's what happened." She frowns at my response.

"You even claim that you had the edge on the second one. You're a human, Emiya. And to boot, you're not even a mage. It's impossible that you could've contested with a servant, even if it's just over the span of seconds."

"I already told you, the only reason I was able to fight against her was because of this." I pull the arrow out from under my pillow and toss it to her. "It was able to withstand clashing against her weapons and it could damage her." Tohsaka lifts the arrow to her face and stares at it intently.

"This… thing?" She mumbles in disbelief. "I don't know how it could, I don't feel any magical presence about it. It's just a shoddy arrow." I snatch it back from her and tuck it under the pillow.

"Shoddy or not, it could cut her. End of story."

"Fine, fine. Now lastly, I want to address something the pink-haired servant said to you." I groan while crawling back to my futon.

"Can't this wait till tomorrow? I've had a long day, it's late, and I want to relax." She frowns at my obvious lack of interest.

"Don't you think this is more important? You have a servant that's targeting you! Aren't you worried?" I wave off the question while snuggling up under my blanket.

"If and when she approaches me again, I'll just fight her off once more."

"Assuming you even did once." Tohsaka spits back at me.

"Yeah, yeah."

"You said that the servant stated her master doesn't like you. You need to tell me all the people who might have a grudge against you so that I can-"

"Ok, I promise. First thing in the morning, when I wake up, I'll be sure to give you a full list." I yawn while turning on my side away from Tohsaka.

"D-Don't ignore me! This is for your sake, not mine!" _Yeah, I get that, but I've had my fill of all this craziness for one day. That, and my body is oddly tired._

"Seriously Tohsaka, this can wait till the morning. Just go get some sleep." I hear her grumble angrily. "Oh, and can you turn the light out on your way out?"

"I-I'm not leaving till you get up and take this seriously!" I sigh in defeat and pull my blanket over my head to block the light.

"Knock yourself out then…" Tohsaka continues to mumble and grumble about the way I'm acting.

"Honestly… being all short with me… saying everything sarcastically… he's acting just like him." _Him? Who's she talking about?_ I run the potential candidates through my head. _She must be referring to Archer. Nah, me and that guy are nothing alike._


	14. Chapter 14

_I don't even know what to say…_ Upon waking up, after a pleasantly deep slumber, I'm greeted with an unwelcome surprise. Tohsaka is sleeping on my futon, next to me. _You really weren't lying when you said you wouldn't budge till I took you seriously._

Upon letting my eyes drift down from her sleeping face, I'm met with another unwelcome surprise. Somehow, the first few buttons of her pajama top came undone while she was sleeping, currently causing her bare chest to be exposed to me. _Boobs. Boobs. Boobs!_

Despite not totally being unveiled, having only mostly her cleavage shown, I can see the light pink of her right areola barely peeking out from behind the hem of her top. _Annnnnnd, that's enough._ I quickly tug the blanket covering me off and toss it over onto her, enveloping her sleeping figure underneath.

"Honestly," I grumble while sitting up from the futon "do you not have any self-awareness? What kind of girl carelessly falls asleep in a guy's bed?" _Imagine if Saber or Archer found us like that. Or Irisviel… Never mind, I don't want to imagine that._

 _Hm, I wonder what time it is?_ I glance to the right to see my phone hooked up to the charger across the room. _Time to see how late I slept in…_ I rise to my feet. I lift my left foot to step off the futon and begin crossing the room. _…huh?_

My right leg spasms and jerks from beneath me, causing me to kick it forward, up into the air. _What?!_ I lower my left foot to the floor to try and catch my balance. As soon as the pad of my foot touches the floor, a spasm mimicking that which broke out in my right one echoes throughout my left.

"W-What the- my balance is!" Suddenly, the muscles cramp and tense up all throughout the leg. The slight bend in my knee straightens completely as my leg stiffens as tight as a knot. The rapid erecting of my leg propels me off the ground.

My eyes, widened with shock, dart around the room as I clumsily flip through the air. I flail my arms around to try and latch onto something to anchor myself to. Before I know it, I'm falling onto my back.

"Gyuegh!" I groan in pain as I crash on top of, and shatter, something. "Ohhh… that wasn't pleasant." I lower my gaze to see that my coffee table, or what's left of it, is what cushioned my fall. "What the hell… was that?"

 _In that moment, I seemed to have no motor function of my legs. That, and my calf and thigh muscles were having strong convulsions._ I stare at both of my legs, neither appearing to be injured or differing in any way. _Though, the convulsions and spasms didn't hurt. Even still, to think they were strong enough to cause a jumping somersault. With one leg, no less._ I roll both of my ankles, causing my feet to rotate in little circles. _They seem fine now…_

My startled cry and the sound of my wooden table being demolished causes my bedmate to stir underneath her blanket tent. Tohsaka rises up from the futon and lets out a loud, tad unladylike, yawn. The blanket rolls off her as she sits up and it haloes around her waist.

"Nnnh, what's with all the ruckus…?" I open my mouth to respond to her, but the words die in my throat. From the current angle I'm at in the room, I can now see her side boob, in all its nakedness, beneath her unbuttoned shirt.

"Nothing! Time to wake up! Going to make breakfast-BYE!" I unleash the string of awkward-situation-evading incantations before leaping up to my feet and rushing out of the room. _I gotta make distance before she realizes the situation. That she slept next to me, ended up with her shirt unbuttoned,_ and _let me get an eyeful of her chest._

Once safely out of the room, I turn on my heel and dart towards the dining room. _Good grief, that girl is too careless!_ My light jogging slows to a walk as I arrive at the doorway. I'm surprised to see neither Saber nor Irisviel at the dining table within. _Huh, I guess I didn't oversleep._

"Alright then, better start breakfast." I state quietly to myself, moving towards the kitchen.

When I enter the cramped kitchen, I glance at the microwave clock to see what time it is. _9:23 a.m.? I would've thought I slept later than that, but I guess I did pretty good._ Feeling a bit more motivated after seeing how early I awoke, I begin eagerly preparing breakfast.

Just as I put the finishing touches on the food, I hear footsteps enter through the doorway to the dining room. I glance back to see Irisviel and Saber stepping in and kneeling at the table.

"*yawn* Morning, Shirou." Irisviel murmurs while stretching her arms above her head.

"Yes, good morning indeed." Saber follows with.

"Morning, you two. You got here at the perfect time, breakfast is ready." Saber's eyes light up in delight at the news while Irisviel sleepily smiles.

"Good, good." Irisviel mumbles. "We can finally get down to business while everyone's eating."

I nod before turning around and gathering up the plates to balance on my arms. _Oops, I think I'll need to make two trips. I made a bit more food than I meant to._ I twirl around and step into the dining room before arranging the dishes I could carry on top of the table. After which, I return to the kitchen and grab the remaining two plates. Once the table is fully arranged with everything I prepared, I take my usual spot and immediately begin digging in.

"Thanks for the food." Irisviel and Saber state in unison.

"Wait." Irisviel states, looking around the table. "Aren't we missing someone? Where's Rin?"

"Still sleeping, probably." I respond between bites of food. Irisviel nods, probably knowing full-well how heavy of a sleeper Rin is.

"Probably," she begins "but we can't exactly discuss our next move without her." Saber shakes her head after Irisviel states this.

"Not necessarily, Irisviel." She responds. "While Rin is indeed our comrade, we needn't consult her on all executive decisions."

"Is that right? Then what do you think we should do, Saber?"

"Well, she seems oddly affixed on finding and stopping Caster. She would never admit it, but it's no doubt because of all the innocent people Caster is harming. I agree that Caster is a high priority, but I would also like to get a better perspective by identifying the last three remaining servants; Berserker, Rider, and Assassin. We know Shirou encountered at least one, whom we assume to be Assassin, but that still leaves two unknowns."

 _Well, technically there's only two servants I haven't met yet: The Rider/Assassin and Caster. I've already stumbled across Berserker and whichever that pink-haired servant was. Good grief, I wish I would've asked her what her class is._ Even still, Saber's plan makes a great deal of sense. Technically, all the servants and masters are enemies in this war. Even Archer and Saber. That means that Caster is just as much a threat to all the servants as to us.

 _Given that… from my perspective, it seems as though waiting out a Holy Grail War until only one other servant remains seems like the best method to prevailing._ I look across the table at Saber. _Knowing her personality though, I doubt that would fly. Since she's the literal definition of a chivalrous knight, I'm sure she'd refuse to fight any way other than proud and gallantly._ What a hassle. If it were up to me, I'd take Irisviel and run as far away from all this idiocy as quickly as possible. However, she decided that she has to stay and fight in it, so that's that.

I begin arranging my plate with seconds from the dishes on the table, having already finished my first. Meanwhile, Saber and Irisviel continue to discuss their plans and ideas. Eventually, I hear footsteps again enter through the doorway. My assumption of whose it is is confirmed when I notice Tohsaka walk around the table and take her seat. I glance at her chest to see she rectified the few unbuttoned buttons of her pajamas at the top.

"Emiya." She suddenly states while glaring across the table at me. _Oh no. I hope she didn't get the wrong idea about that situation._ "Your futon is so uncomfortable. I'll never understand why people prefer them to a proper bed." _Whew, close one._ Irisviel gives me a mischievous gaze. _Wait. Oh no._

"Ohhhh? And how would you know his futon is uncomfortable, Rin?" Irisviel's question causes both Tohsaka and I to stiffen where we sit. _Dammit Tohsaka!_

"I… Well, I. I Slept there the first night I stayed here! Yeah, I was referring to that time." Considering how horribly she pieced together that explanation, I don't expect Irisviel to buy it.

"Is that right?" Irisviel queries while running her finger along the rim of her glass. "I thought that, considering you mentioned it right after waking up and joining us, you must've slept with Shirou last night. You _were_ awfully insistent about all of us hurrying off to bed, after all."

"W-Well, that's…" Tohsaka mumbles, trying to piece an excuse together. _Damn! You suck at this!_ The obvious blush on her face doesn't help to mediate the situation, either. "As if I would sleep in the same bed- no, in the same _room_ as that jerk!"

 _Ah, I see. The classic Tsundere approach. It's the only thing she's good at, so maybe it'll work._ Still, I didn't expect to actually take offense to the repulsion she feigned at me. All while this conversation takes place between Irisviel and Tohsaka, Saber merely watches on the edge of her seat. Occasionally, her face will grow flush as something, I assume, she deems scandalous or she'll let out a quiet "oh!" at something one of them say.

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say Rin. I'll just leave it at that for now." I can practically hear the mental sigh of relief Tohsaka has upon Irisviel finally backing off.

 _Why are these women always so noisy? Weren't we supposed to be having a war meeting this morning?_ Almost as if she read my mind, Saber speaks up upon me thinking this.

"Now then," she begins "if we're done discussing pleasantries, we should finally begin debating what we'll do from here on. In the War, I mean."

Tohsaka and Irisviel nod in unison at the proposal. Irisviel begins repeating Saber's idea, of trying to identify each of the classes, before making any big moves. Instead of listening though, Tohsaka appears to be staring at me. She's making strange eye movements; rolling them, alternating her gaze between me and Irisviel, skewing her brow, rapidly looking between me and the doorway. _What the hell is she doing?_

"Do you have something in your eye, Tohsaka?" I ask, interrupting Irisviel. Instead of the myriad of eye movements she was just making, Tohsaka instead glares at me now.

"Emiya. Would you mind allowing us three a moment of privacy? I have something I wish to discuss with Irisviel, that I'd rather you not hear." She states, barely managing to conceal her anger. I tilt my head in confusion.

 _Is that what she was trying to hint with all those weird eye gestures? Why does she want me to leave?_ I ponder for a moment on what she's thinking and then it hits me. _Oh yeah! She was going to drum up a story about her and Archer encountering Berserker so that she could mention the child to Irisviel. I completely forgot about that._ I shoot her a knowing look and nod while standing to my feet.

"Ok, ok." I begin, walking towards the doorway. "I'll get out of you guys' hair. I have a few things I need to take care of outside anyways. I'll be in the backyard, so just come get me when you're done." With that, I exit the room and hastily walk down the hallway before Saber or Irisviel can question why I must be absent. _Good luck, Tohsaka._

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

I watch Shirou fumble over his words while excusing himself from the room. Before I can ask Rin why he must be absent, he ducks into the hallway. I soon hear rapid footsteps as he runs off. _Strange… Normally he'd start complaining and protesting, but this time he left immediately at Rin's behest._

"Irisviel." Upon Rin calling out to me, I pull my gaze from the doorway and affix it across the table to her. "Sorry to chase Emiya out like that, it's just… What I want to discuss with you seems a bit sensitive and private. I wouldn't want to uncover anything you've been trying to keep hidden from Emiya."

Rin's words force my body to tense up slightly. _"Uncover what I'm hiding"? "Private"? What exactly did she find out?_ I begin worrying that perhaps she realized my true nature; the role I played in the previous Grail War. I open my mouth to respond.

"Huuuhh?!" Rin suddenly shouts in shock, halting me from asking my question.

"W-What is it, Rin?" I warily ask. It at first doesn't seems she can hear me. Instead, she rapidly darts her gaze around the top of the table.

"W-Where's all the food? Did you guys really eat all the breakfast without me?"

Her question catches me off guard and eases the tension I'd been feeling. I join her in looking across the dishes Shirou had arranged on the table. As Rin had observed, the dishes are indeed almost completely empty. Almost in unison, Rin and I turn to stare at Saber, the most-likely culprit. She returns our gazes, mid-sip of her tea.

"W-What?" Saber questions. "Wait, you both think it was me?!"

"Well, it certainly wasn't me." I respond. "I have a very small, ladylike appetite."

"And it couldn't have been me." Rin immediately follows up. "I only just sat down."

"Also," I continue "you do seem to have a hefty stomach, Saber. You ate Rin's supper last night to satiate your hunger, no?" My comments cause Saber's face to burn with a raging blush.

"Th-That's not true! I-I just didn't want her food to go to waste!" I don't bother correcting her that she explicitly asked for seconds before taking it. "Besides," Saber continues "trust me when I say I wasn't the one who made short work of the breakfast this morning. If anything, I held back." I look at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, Shirou seemed ravenous this morning. So, I took a back seat and let him eat his fill since I received the most rations last night." _Shirou?_

"That seems believable." Rin agrees. "I always thought Emiya was a picky eater. I mean, he always brought intricate-looking, healthy lunches to school. However, I've noticed that here, at his house, he's been eating pretty heavily."

"Yes…" Saber responds. "When I was summoned, he at first seemed fairly reserved when it came to food, but now it feels like he's eating more than usual."

 _I have noticed that._ For practically as long as I've known Shirou, he's always eaten extremely healthily and portion-sized his meals accordingly to the approximate amount of daily nutrition he's needed. However, recently the meals we've eaten, particularly these last two, have been very hearty. Despite Hamburg Steak being my favorite, he's hesitant to make it because of how much of a health nut he is. Yet, he cooked it last night without hesitation, receiving no request from me to do so.

 _Strange. Is this what they call "stress eating"? Or perhaps he's trying to pamper me and cater to my desires because this Holy Grail War is making him anxious. Like an inmate on death row getting his final, favorite foods!_ I pause my train of thought, seeing it once again spiral down into bizarre absurdities and comparisons.

"While we're on the topic of Emiya acting strangely," Rin suddenly begins "I should probably mention that, this morning, I awoke to find the little coffee table in his room completely destroyed." Saber and I stare at Rin.

"Wait…" Saber begins. "Let me get this straight. At some point last night, the furniture in Shirou's room got messed up, presumably by him. So that, when you woke up, it appeared different than you recall it looking before you went to bed…"

"And then this morning," I continue in Saber's place "he's inexplicably hungry, ravenous as you said, after waking up and then eats almost all of the food he prepared by himself?" Rin nods her head.

"Yes, it seems so." She responds, looking serious. Saber and I exchange glances, then look back to her. A mischievous smile spreads across my face.

"My word, just how hard did you work him last night, Rin? And while Saber and I were under the same roof too, no less." Rin raises her brow at me in confusion.

"Huh?" She questions, apparently missing the implication. Meanwhile, the raging blush has returned to Saber's face and she's looking at Rin wide-eyed while stammering.

"H-How s-scandalous." Saber murmurs under her breath. Rin then looks to Saber in blatant confusion.

"Scandalous? What do you mean?" She hastily questions.

"I must've been even more tired than I'd thought." I continue. "If I was able to sleep through the table getting broken and whatever other noises you two were making while you… well, you know." Apparently, Rin finally gets the hint of what conclusion Saber and I had drawn.

"W-W-W-W-What are you saying?! You think that I- that we- that me and him did _that_?! A-As if! To even think something like that is- is stupid!" Rin hastily and messily refutes.

"Weeelllllllll," I playfully begin "you just confirmed you woke up in his room this morning, in turn confirming that you _did_ in fact sleep in his room last night, after telling us you hadn't, so how are we to believe that's _all_ you did?"

"I- no, you don't understand. It's not that! What had happened was- he was tired and wasn't giving me attention, so- Wait! That came out wrong!" Upon Rin making that little slip-up, Saber's mouth forms a little 'O' and her ahoge stands straight up.

"I never would've guessed that you… and Shirou… oh dear." Saber's mind is clearly becoming occupied with images of what she thinks transpired between the two last night.

"Shall we begin making wedding plans? Or was it just a one-night fling?" My questions force Rin's blush to deepen and spread even more while her face dons an angry, pouty expression.

"I said it wasn't like that!" After once again shouting her innocence, she grabs both of her twintails and wraps them around her face before slamming her head down onto the table in embarrassment.

I can't hold back my giggling from the embarrassed Rin that resulted from my incessant teasing. _Perhaps I went too far?_ I look to Saber to see her face is still beet-red and steam is practically rising from her head. _It looks like Saber didn't realize it was a joke…_

I pour myself another cup of tea while waiting for the other two girls to cool off. While stirring a spoonful of sugar into the tea, my mind begins to dwell on what the two girls observed about Shirou, again. _I made light of the situation because I couldn't help but tease Rin, but… Is there actually something going on with Shirou? If that's the case, I wish it were something as simple as just fooling around with Rin…_

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

"Ahh… Aha… Ah! AHHCHOO!" My unexpected sneeze almost causes me to fall back from where I'm kneeling. "Ugh. *sniffle* What was that?" _Those girls must be talking about me…_

After leaving the girls, I'd planned on going straight outside, but I thought it'd be best to come back and get my lucky arrow before I left the house. Even if I was only going right outside, in our backyard. _With all these freaks running around, I think it'd be in my best interest to keep it on my person at all times._

I reach under my pillow and fumble around until my fingers brush against the wood of the arrow's shaft. I wrap my grip around it and pull it from under the pillow. I stand up and turn to leave but stop when my eyes catch a glimpse of what's in the corner of the room. The shattered remnants of my coffee table.

"How strange." I mumble, walking towards the pile of wooden fragments. I stop myself from moving closer and shake my head. _I'll clean it up later tonight. I should do something productive while I'm free from Tohsaka and the others._ Upon convincing myself, I turn towards the door and hastily make my way out the room.

I grow slightly disheartened upon entering the shed and seeing the lopsided bag on the floor, within which is the shreds of my previous archery target. _Ugh. I need to go and get another one soon, too._

I pass up the bag and begin walking towards the back of the shed. _Now would be as good a time as any to start trying to fix the broken roof. Almost the entirety of it covering the back porch was destroyed, some above the hall leading to the porch was even damaged, and two window panes are shattered; I'll have to buy new ones._

"Damn it! Just thinking about it pisses me off! I swear, the next time I see that Lancer!" My grip around the arrow tightens while I rant about the rude servant. _Alright, alright. Calm down Shirou. If you start fixing it up, it'll look better and won't irritate you as much._

After calming myself, I continue walking towards the back of the shed. While walking, I notice the rack holding my bows on the left wall of the shed. _Ah, they look so pristine._ I'd been so enamored with the new bow that Archer constructed for me that I'd almost completely forgotten about the other two, fine pieces I have.

I stop walking and continue staring at the bows, feeling myself grow anxious. _Maybe… maybe I can go shoot one, just for a few minutes._ The girls will probably be talking for a while, so it isn't likely that I won't have enough time to squeeze in a few shots.

I raise my foot and begin to take my first step towards the bows lined on the rack. _N-No!_ I stop and retract my foot. _I already decided I was going to work on the roof. It can't stay broken forever. Besides, I don't even have a target. I wouldn't have anything to shoot at._

I sigh and shake my head before continuing my trek to the back of the shed. _The sacks with the roof tiles should be back here. Most of my non-woodworking tools are back here too. For starters, I should just get my toolbelt and the ladder and see what rafters and beams can be salvaged. I'll have to buy new decking to lay over that, along with some new felt layering, before I can actually… arrange… the. Tiles. Back._

My steps slow and falter as I continue walking. My train of thought disappears. _W-What the hell?_ An unpleasant, warm sensation radiates throughout my head. I slowly lower myself to my knees.

I release my grip on the arrow so that I can catch myself with my hands. It clatters on the concrete floor as I plant my palms firmly on the ground to prevent myself from falling down completely.

I breathe heavily while keeping my upper torso lifted in the air with my arms. A light stinging sensation graces my arms and legs. I feel a warmth similar to the one in my head break out in my chest. _Ngh. Something's not right._

Soon a steady pounding rhythm sounds off. It takes only a moment for me to realize it's my heartbeat. I feel as though I can hear it within my skull.

A sense of dread wells up within me. _W-What's happening? A-A heart attack? Heat stroke?_ The fact that whatever's happening isn't necessarily causing any acute pain- it only fuels the idea that something is really wrong.

The pounding noise, that I assume to be my heartbeat, slowly subsides as I feel the warmth within my head slowly wash away. Or, rather, it slowly trickles down my body.

The warmth drips down my neck, imitating the sensation of swallowing slightly-too-hot tea. I feel it envelop the already-present warmth in my chest before swirling and merging into it. My chest tightens as the bundle of heat constricts and compresses on itself. _Ugh! What a disturbing feeling… Like someone's holding my heart, ever so gently, within their grasp._

My hands shiver slightly. Perhaps they shiver because of the subtle stinging throughout my limbs, perhaps it's because I'm scared of whatever's happening.

Then, like a drop of water falling into a bucket, the bundle plummets from my chest and falls into my gut.

As soon as the focal point of the odd heat seats itself in my stomach, the subsiding pain throughout the rest of my body vanishes, all at once. My eyes, which had been tightly shut, snap open upon the sensation dissipating. I look down at my body, slick with sweat, to see it loose and no longer tensed up all throughout.

Despite a little aching, my muscles don't protest when I attempt to lift myself back up to my feet. _Ughh, my head._ Despite it being void of the profound, burning feeling, a headache now lingers. I place my hand over my chest. I feel my heart still beating rapidly, but I can no longer hear it pounding.

"What in the hell was all of that?!" I angrily shout. _First the incident with my coffee table this morning, and now this?! Ugh… I need to go see a doctor._

I give my shoulders a test shrug and roll before lifting each of my feet up and doing the same with my ankles. _Well, for now they seem to be working. What was that awful sensation about though? The only thing I can think of is maybe one of the enemy servants poisoned me or cursed me or cast a spell on me… or something! I don't know what all these weirdos can do to me!_

A likely candidate would be the pink-haired one I encountered. _Irisviel and Saber seem to think it's the "Assassin" class servant. If the name is any indicator, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume she poisoned me or something, then. She did drive her stake through my arm, after all._ I shake the thought off while sighing.

 _Well, whatever the case is, I seem to be fine now. Better than fine, actually. I feel practically the same as when I first walked in here. Almost like I'm imagining what just took place. I'll bring it up to Irisviel later or something, but for now I need to stick to my resolve and take a look at the roof._

I try my best to ignore the disturbing event that just took place while walking towards the back wall to grab my toolbelt. Along the way, I reach down and snatch up my lucky arrow that I'd dropped when the experience first started. With my free hand, I rub my stomach as I walk. _A warm, lingering sensation persists in my core…_

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

"Anyways, you said you had something to discuss with me, Rin?" She nods at my question while fidgeting with one of her twintails.

"Y-Yes." She nervously responds. "I actually have something I want to fess up about."

 _Fess up? Rin's been hiding something? Perhaps that's why she looks so anxious._

"Alright then," I begin "out with it. There's no need to look so on edge. Whatever it is, I won't get angry or bitter at you about it." I shoot her a warm, reassuring smile after pressing her to tell me. My words do little to ease her tension, as she just feigns a, nervous, laugh while scratching the back of her head.

"Right… of course, Irisviel. I'm just trying to figure out exactly how to tell you is all." _How to tell me?_ Saber joins me in looking at Rin in confusion. "Alright, I'll just say it plainly. Archer and I… we may have had an encounter with a servant that I neglected to mention to you." I tilt my head at her.

"Is that all?" I query. "That's not that big of a deal. Just fill me in on it so we can be on the same page."

"Right, of course! Wait- no, that's not the main thing. I-" Rin's jittery, jumbled explanation continues to perplex me as she keeps talking. _She sounds like she can't even remember what she's describing to me…_

"Rin," Saber suddenly chimes in "what exactly are you trying to say to Irisviel?"

"I- Well, while the servant is important, it's not the main reason I'm bringing it up now. It's because of its master." _Its master?_

"What about the master?" I ask, intrigued.

"Well, she… looked like you, Irisviel." Rin's response sends a chill up my spine.

"Huh?"

"The- the little girl, she-"

"Little girl?!" I blurt out, standing to my feet. I lean across the table, my face only inches from Rin's. "This- this little girl, you said she looked like me?! That she's a master? How young do you mean by 'little', exactly?! Your age?"

"Irisviel, I-"

"What was her name? Did she give you a name?!" I breathe heavily, trying to replenish the oxygen I'd expelled from my lungs from talking so loudly and quickly. My eyes widen slightly upon realizing Rin had fumbled away, her back pressed against the wall, from me suddenly getting in her face and having an outburst.

"I- I don't know her name. All I know is she looked just like you, wore clothes just like yours, and was undoubtedly the master of her servant; Berserker." Rin responds after hesitating, her tone sounding slightly offended. Despite knowing I should apologize for my outburst, I instead continue pressing her for more.

"Where did you find her? How long ago was this?" Rin also stands to her feet while I question her.

"It was at the intersection right before the school. The place where Shirou and Saber said they found a giant gash mark left by a servant; that gash was left from our brief fight. Archer and I encountered them two nights ago; I'd just kept it a secret because… because I felt suspicious of you, thinking you're hiding something." I feel myself grow offended now.

"So, you just neglected to tell me?!" I ask, sounding angrier than I intended.

"What would you have done?" She quickly responds. "If you'd encountered someone who looks just like me and, to boot, is a master in the war? Would that not put your faith in me into question? How the hell do you think he… _I_ felt after seeing something like that?!"

I bite my tongue at her explanation. Seeing it logical, but still feeling hurt she'd keep it from me. _Though, she doesn't know the story of Illyasv- no, of the Einzberns. I can't exactly blame her._

A silence fills the room as Rin and I exchange glances, not knowing how to follow up in the awkward, tense atmosphere. Saber finally perks up after a few moments.

"I don't blame you, Rin." She states. "You tell us now, so that must mean you eventually decided you do, in fact, trust Irisviel. That alone makes it water under the bridge, to me."

I affix my gaze on the still-seated Saber to see her returning a knowing look to me. _That's right… Saber still has her memories from the previous War somehow. She remembers… her._ I nod at her, silently thanking her for the sensible comment.

"That being said," Saber continues "what do we do from here?"

"I'm continuing on what I believe is the best course of action." Rin immediately states before I can say anything. "I'm going to find and stop Caster, foiling whatever she's planning before it's too late." She looks at me inquisitively, prodding me to declare what I will do.

"Berserker's master." I state. "I have to find Berserker's master as soon as possible." Rin sighs at my decision, looking frustrated.

"I'm not even going to pretend like I know the context," she begins "so will you tell me before I speak my mind?" I shake my head.

"I'm sorry." I murmur.

"Then, if it's none of my business, I won't be joining you. Though, I'm sure that doesn't bother you. You likely weren't planning on asking for my help." I shake my head.

"I'm sorry." I murmur.

"Have you forgotten that we're in an alliance? What happened to being on the same page?" I can't bring myself to look her in the eyes as she questions me.

"This is just something I have to do." I finally respond. "Don't concern yourself with it." After stating this, Rin walks around the table and past me, to the doorway.

"I assume this means our coalition is over with?" She asks from behind me. I nod.

"Until I take care of Berserker's master, yes." I confidently state. I hear Rin let off a prompt "hhmph!" before walking out of the room. Saber stands to her feet.

"W-Wait!" Saber calls out to Rin. "Let's not be hasty!" Her statement is met with the sound of the front door sliding open and slamming shut. She sighs. "I understand where you're coming from, Irisviel. However, I believe Rin is someone we can trust. Why not tell her? Have her help us?" I shake my head.

"It isn't a matter of trust, Saber." I grievously respond. _If this is her, if she is a master… there's no telling what happened while I've been gone._ "It's a matter of how she views me in her eyes… and those who are close to me."

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"*whistle* *whistle *whistle* Gonna fix me a roof~ Gonna fix it like poof~ In the pudding, here's the proof~ Just gotta grit my tooth~" I pull down a splintered rafter while singing my merry tune, placing it amongst the other pieces of shattered decking and roof fragments.

"*whistle* *whistle* Once it's done, it'll be pure bliss~ If you ask me, it's my one and only wish~ And then I'll gut Lancer like a fish." I pause while leaning down to place some more debris on the pile. _That last part doesn't flow too well… But it makes me happy, so it's ok._ A familiar blue mist starts converging in front of me, on the roof.

"Archer." I state, pulling my measuring tape from my belt.

"Oh, it's you, Shirou Emiya. I thought it was a dying, wailing cat I'd heard." I frown at his critique of my singing.

"Sorry to disappoint. Anyways, where have you been? Normally you show up immediately when I come out, but I've been here for almost an hour and you've only just graced me with your presence." He smirks at me.

"What? Did you miss me _that_ much?"

"No."

"Heh. Well, since you're so curious, I've been running the perimeter of the surrounding blocks and streets." He nonchalantly responds. A prolonged silence ensues after his brief answer.

"…alright, I'll bite. Why were you out checking the surrounding area?" Upon my urging, he continues.

"Well… for the briefest of moments, I detected an enemy servant somewhere on the premises."

"W-What?! Are you serious?"

"Mm. I was in spirit form and it was so sudden that it caught me off guard."

"What servant was it?"

"How should I know? Like I said, I only picked up on it for a moment. And whoever they were, they sure as hell knew. The moment I noticed the presence, they must've bolted as far away from here as possible. Because I couldn't find a trace of them anywhere around here." _There was a servant that close to us? They must've been observing us. What for? Lancer, Berserker, the pink-haired servant- there's already three potential candidates out for my head that it could've been!_

"Maybe they just entered spirit form, like you?" I ask.

"Ha, that's not how it works. I'd still be able to tell if they were around, spirit form or not. Odds are, they already were in spirit form when I sensed them. Given how quickly they appeared and vanished… chances are it was the Assassin servant. Though, I find it hard to believe they'd carelessly slip up on their presence concealment like that."

 _The Assassin, huh? I wonder if that's the pink-haired woman…_ For the first time, I genuinely feel grateful that Archer's been perched up here constantly observing and watching for enemies.

"I've been thinking," he begins "I really should talk with Rin and Irisviel about setting up a simple bounded field for the house. Since I'm constantly on watch, it's not that important, but if I were ever gone then-" He stops upon noticing my confused gaze. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'm not concerned about your well-being or anything, but my master- she will be living under the same roof, so." I nod while smirking.

"Riiiiiiight."

"Anyways," he declares while clearing his throat "I see your beginning renovations on the roof. Would you care for an extra hand?"

"Actually, yeah. There probably won't be many chances to work on it for a while, so any help I can get will-"

"Archer!" Tohsaka's loud, annoyed shout rings out across the yard, cutting me off. "We're leaving!"

"But-"

"NOW!" She shouts from the front yard, even louder somehow, cutting off Archer's attempt at a protest.

"Welp," he begins, looking to me "she's pissed. I'm going to hurry and go before she rips me a new one. Try not to die while we're gone, hm?" With that, he jumps from the roof and down into the front yard.

"You too." I mumble.

 _What in the world was Tohsaka so upset about?_ I ponder on it while descending from the roof down the ladder. _Oh yeah! She took the blame for the Berserker encounter so that she could tell Irisviel about the little girl._ I begin worrying about how it went down to make Tohsaka so angry. _I better go check on Irisviel._

Saber and Irisviel sit at the table in the dining room, in silence. I quietly step through the doorway and into the room. _Yeesh! What's with the tense atmosphere in here?!_

"Um… Irisviel?" I softly call to her. She perks up slightly upon hearing me before turning to face me. "Did something happen? Tohsaka snatched up Archer and left in a tissy." I sit down next to her while asking.

"Oh, yes. We may have had a bit of an argument." She responds while forcing a smile. "I believe Rin is going to split from us, at least for a little while. Her current goal differs from mine, so…" She trails off, not finishing her sentence. I can't help but worry more when I notice her distraught, yet thoughtful, expression.

"What do you mean by that? I-"

"Shirou." Irisviel states abruptly, cutting me off. "Why don't you go have your lesson with Saber now? I think I need a little time alone. To think."

I open my mouth to protest but stop myself. _Remember, Shirou. This is what you wanted._ I notice Saber has already rose to her feet and begun walking out the room. I sigh before nodding at Irisviel. I stand up from the table and join Saber in exiting the room. _I suppose she really doesn't want me to know…_

* * *

"You aren't going to try and squeeze out info on what happened from me?" Saber queries while placing her hand firmly on my hip.

"Ehh! You're being kinda handsy, Saber!" I yelp in embarrassment, feeling my face heat up. She tightens her grip on my hip and pulls me closer to her figure.

"Oh, be quiet!" She barks back, right into my ear. "You wanted help improving your form! How else am I going to show you?"

After leaving Irisviel and coming to the dojo, Saber finally agreed to help me with my archery. She told me we'd start from the ground up and improve on my form. I'd been quite consistent and diligent with my stance and form, so I thought there wasn't anything she could teach me in regard to that… She proved me wrong.

"S-Saber, will adjusting the spread of my legs and the torsion of my upper body, by just a few centimeters, really make that much of a difference?" As soon as I finish my question, she lifts her hand from my waist and grabs either side of my chest with both hands.

"Your torque is still wrong!" she states, twisting my upper body forcefully. "And of course, it will help. Any unnecessary movement and muscle expenditure should be eliminated if you want to perform optimally." I sigh in defeat, surrendering myself to her bear paws.

"Fine. Whatever you say, teach." I mumble. "Also, what do you mean by 'squeeze info out of you'?" Her grip on my sides loosens a bit at my question.

"I just thought you'd like to know what happened between Irisviel and Rin." She states. _Well, I kinda already do know. Besides…_

"Even if I said I did," I begin "you still wouldn't tell me, right? Your master didn't so neither will you, right?" She remains quiet for a moment, occasionally adjusting my torso whenever it begins to relax and uncoil. Eventually, I hear her mumble "mhm".

"It's just…" she continues "that you seem so passionate about my master, Irisviel. Ever since I was summoned here, I couldn't believe how close you two are. I just thought… the idea of secrets being kept between you two would be too much for you to bear." I smile slightly at the unexpected thoughtfulness of Saber.

"No, Saber. It's fine. Whatever she decides not to confide in me about… that's her business. Of course, if and when the day comes that she decides to tell me about it, I'll be all ears! But until then… I can wait. I feel in my heart that whatever she keeps hidden, whatever she keeps a secret, she does so for her own benefit. As well as mine. That's enough for me." Saber removes her grip from me and pulls her body away, taking a step back. I glance back at her in confusion.

"Intriguing." She quietly states, staring at me. Her eyes display a myriad of feeling that I'd yet to see in the servant. Surprise, curiosity, and… sadness? "You're an interesting man, Shirou Emiya… I wish I could understand you." With that comment, her face returns to its stoic expression and she walks out of the dojo. I call out to her, asking if we were already done with the lesson, but she ignores it as she exits through the doorway.

"Saber…" I quietly state. For the first time, I remind myself that she may be one of these heroic spirit things, but she's still a young girl. _I wonder what's troubling her._

As I walk down the hall leading out of the dojo, I gaze out the window panes of the hall, at the orange sky being painted by the setting sun. _Ugh, nighttime._ Over the last few days, my opinion of the night has officially been ruined. _That's when the freaks come out to play._

I enter the kitchen to see Irisviel sitting at the table. Only Irisviel. Saber is not present in the room with her. I quickly walk to her and take my usual seat, noticing that she's changed from her pajamas into actual clothes and a long, white coat. _Is she planning on going somewhere?_

"Uh, Irisviel?" She faces me upon calling her name. "Are you ready to talk now? It'll be dark soon and I have no idea what's going on." She nods.

"Indeed. We'll be finding and engaging on Berserker and his master." My eyes widen slightly at her declaration. _I shouldn't be shocked that that's what she decided, but it's still pretty sudden… Time to play the ignorant card._

"Berserker? That's random. Have you already identified the servant? Where's it at?" She shrugs her shoulders.

"That's what I will find out. Rin seems to have encountered the servant two or so days ago and neglected to tell us about it. In front of your school, where you and Saber saw the aftermath of a battle." I laugh nervously at her statement.

"W-Well, I don't know exactly why we're hunting this servant specifically, but alrighty!" I state, energetically. "I see that your dressed. Will we be starting the search tonight?" She nods after a moment.

"Yes, _we_ will." I tilt my head in confusion at her tone.

"Huh?"

"Shirou, Saber and I will be hunting down Berserker. I don't want you tagging along with us." I feel my heart ache at her abruptly shooting me down. Apparently, my sadness is apparent because Irisviel's firm expression falters and her eyes flash with sympathy. She begins stammering.

"I-I-I I mean, it's not because I think you're weak or incapable or anything! It's… I-I wanted you to help Rin with her endeavors instead! Yeah!" Her poorly pieced-together excuse doesn't convince me, but I can't help smiling, nonetheless.

 _I shouldn't take offense to her not wanting me to accompany her. She just seems to really want me uninvolved with Berserker's master, that little girl._ I recall the child's bitterness and hatred of me. I recall the bloodlust she harbored for me. _I can see why…_

"Help Tohsaka?" I ask, sighing. Irisviel nods. _Does she legitimately want me to or is this just something to keep my hands full while she deals with the child? If so, I'd rather just stay home than help the redcoats… Regardless,_ "What exactly is she doing?" She smiles at me, seeming to have taken my question as affirmation that I'll help them.

"If you recall," she begins "they're trying to identify and stop Caster." _Caster…_ I recall Tohsaka mentioning how this servant is siphoning mana from people and stockpiling it to use for something. _That does sound dangerous…_ I remember something Irisviel mentioned the first time we discussed this servant.

"Irisviel, you mentioned before that the Caster class becomes progressively more problematic the longer the war draws on. Why is that?" Her face lights up in surprise, probably shocked that I actually remember her saying that.

"Well, it's mostly because of their class abilities. Most of them possess the 'Territory Creation' and 'Item Construction' skills. These two skills allow Casters to create advantageous workshops and items, respectively. If their proficiency in the skill is high enough, and given they have enough time, a Caster could construct a weapon on par with a mediocre Noble Phantasm." _A Noble Phantasm. The magical weapons the Heroic Spirits wield._ I briefly remember the destructive force Lancer's spear was capable of.

"Hm. That does sound troublesome." I mumble. Irisviel giggles slightly at my reaction.

"Well, don't let my words frighten you too much." She states. "It's only true if this Caster has the Item Construction skill of such a high grade. If it's of C rank or lower, it doesn't pose much of a threat."

"Interesting." I murmur. _"Item Construction", huh? I'll have to remember that._

Irisviel and I talk for a while longer. Eventually, I hear footsteps enter through the doorway. I turn to see Saber enter and nod at Irisviel.

"Irisviel," she begins "it's time. Night has fallen. If you wish to have as much time in finding them as possible, then we should go now." Irisviel nods while sighing. She stands from the table and joins Saber at the doorway.

"Very well Saber, let's go." She states. Saber walks out of the room and Irisviel follows her out, turning to look back at me as she does so. "We will be back in the morning. Sooner, if things go well. I asked you to help Rin, but you don't have to do it immediately tonight. You can just sleep in if you wish. Oh, and I made a little dinner for you. It's wrapped up in the fridge." I open my mouth to question her. "Ok! Bye!"

After cutting me off, she rushes down the hall. I jump to my feet and rush out the doorway to tell her to wait up, but the front door slams shut the moment I enter the hallway. _Dammit. She was sure in a hurry… Wait. Did she say she cooked dinner?_

I rush through the dining room and into the neighboring kitchen. Upon arriving at the fridge, I sling the door open. I see a boxed lunch on the top shelf. Just to be sure, I lift the lid and see that, sure enough, there is food inside. Albeit, a simple meal, but still food, nonetheless. _Irisviel? Cooking? Something's definitely wrong…_

I close the fridge and enter back into the dining room. _When was the last time Irisviel even made food for me? It had to be back right before I started working around the clock… It's been so long, I thought she'd forgotten how to._

I pull my cellphone out while walking down the hallway to the front door. _Might as well call Tohsaka. Ask if she needs any help from me. I guess it beats sitting around here by myself with nothing to do._ She wrote her house phone number on a note and stuck it to the fridge when she first started staying over here. "In case of emergencies" she said.

After dialing in the number, I press my cellphone against my ear and sandwich my shoulder against it to free my hands up. I sit in front of the door and slip my shoes on before tying up the laces. _…She's not picking up._

After waiting a few seconds longer, I stand back to my feet and hang up the phone. _She must not be home. That, or maybe she's just passed out asleep again._

"I guess I can walk to her house and check, just to be sure. I've already put my shoes on and all…" I mumble while opening the door.

The cool night air sends a shiver down my body as I step out and close the door. _I keep forgetting how chilly it is out at night. Has it gotten even colder?_ I begin thinking how nice it'd be to pull out the kotatsu one of these nights to enjoy with the girls… maybe even Archer, too. _Well, that's then and this is now. I should just focus on getting to Tohsaka's and seeing what she's up to._

After making sure the door is locked up, I turn and begin walking to the gate leading out to the street. Only a few steps forward, and I stop in my tracks. A familiar, eerie feeling spreads throughout me and a nagging sensation jabs into the back of my head. I jerk around to face the front of the house.

"Who's there?!" I shout, staring up at the roof.

Indeed, a figure stands on the ledge just above the door, their figure silhouetted by the moonlight. Upon my noticing them, they take a step forward and fall down to their feet on the ground right in front of me. Once they're on even ground with me, I realize who it is. Her skimpy outfit, pink hair, and blindfolded eyes are all the indicators I need.

"Y-You?!" I shout in disbelief. She straightens up and smirks at my reaction.

"Hello again… Emiya Shirou."


	15. Chapter 15

_Dammit, w-why is_ she _here?!_

The servant who lured me into a trap the other day now stands before me once more. Oddly, her countenance seems rather relaxed. _Probably because she knows I'm alone right now. All my bows are in the shed. Luckily, I have my arrow in my pants, but will that be enough?_

"You look troubled, Emiya Shirou." She mumbles, taking a step forward.

"Eh!" I grunt while taking my phone out and chucking it at her in one swift motion.

The phone hits her square on the nose, her having made no attempt to dodge it, before falling and clanking against the ground below. I turn and run after the puny strike, hoping to have at least disoriented her a bit.

"Wait, Emiya Shirou." I hear her call out from behind me. "There's no need to run."

I continue blitzing towards the backyard, ignoring her statement. _I just have to make it to the shed and get my bow. I'll figure out how to defeat her afterwards._ My running skids to a halt when I see a purple haze sprint past and in front of me, blocking my path.

"Didn't I tell you to stop for a moment?" She grumbles, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, and let you put one of your daggers in my neck?" I spit back, yanking my arrow from my pantline. "Not a chance!" I rush at her and ready the arrow.

"Hmph." Is all she says as I close the distance. I jab my hand clutching the arrow forward and at her midsection.

In a single instant, the servant wraps one of her hands around the wrist, before twisting my arm and planting it behind my back. My grip weakens and the arrow slips from my fingers, falling down to the grass.

"D-Dammit." I state, exasperated. With my free hand, I reach to grab the one that she has locked around my wrist.

In another swift motion, the servant kicks her foot out underneath mine, knocking me off my feet. I watch helplessly as she wraps her arm underneath my armpit and around the back of my neck in a chokehold. The tight, choking embrace presses me against her body and sandwiches my face between her bosom.

"Mmph!" I try in vain to voice my protest but get muffled.

"Finished yet?" She questions, looking unamused.

"Mmhm." I mumble while nodding. She nods before releasing her choke and spinning me away by the arm she has in her grasp. I inhale, finally being able to breathe, before reaching down and snatching the arrow I had disarmed.

While picking it up and catching my breath, I look warily at the servant who remains in a neutral stance, waiting. _Odd. She really doesn't seem to be hostile._ Slowly and cautiously, I retract my hand holding the arrow and tuck it back into my pants. _Why did she come here then?_

"You're… better than last time." I state, trying to ease the tension.

"I could've sworn I clarified that I merely underestimated you last time." She instantly retorts.

"Yeah, sure. Speaking of last time, how are you even alive, anyways? I recall shooting you straight through your head." She nods.

"Yes, and it hurt very much so. If you had managed another hit like that, or had even been a tad more precise with the first one, I wouldn't be standing before you now. However, I managed to pull through your injury, if only barely."

"Well, regardless," I continue "why are you here tonight? I assumed you wanted to finish the job but now I'm getting mixed signals."

"Oh, don't beat yourself up about it, Emiya Shirou." She responds. "I may still kill you, as well. I just had to make sure of something first and foremost." My frown deepens at what she says.

"You're not really making it easy to cooperate with you…" I mumble. "What emboldened you to make a move on me anyways? Aren't you worried Archer or Saber might be around?" She shakes her head.

"Of course not. I've been observing this place from afar almost all of today. I knew they both left detectable range of me, so I made my move."

 _Ok, a little creepy. But smart, I suppose._ I recall the incident today that Archer mentioned to me. _Oh, so perhaps she was the servant Archer said he sensed briefly… She must've got too close for comfort._ My train of thought halts when a finger taps me lightly on my forehead.

"Gyah?!" I quickly backstep from the servant who just touched me before covering my forehead.

"Just making sure you were still with me." She explains after seeing my reaction. "You spaced out for a moment."

"A-Anyways," I begin "what exactly did you come here to make sure of? Depending on what it is, I may still have to fight…" I say the last part under my breath.

The servant responds only by pointing towards my lower body. I follow the direction her extended finger is pointed to arrive at the front of my pants. I look to her to clarify, but after she remains silent and just continues to point, I become self-conscious and cover myself.

"If you're asking what I think you're asking, I'm going to have to refuse…" I answer, sheepishly. She tilts her head at what I say in confusion.

"Why? I only want to see it for a few seconds. That's all I need."

"N-No! How could you ask that?!" She frowns.

"You needn't be so protective of it. It's not like I'm planning on stealing it from you or anything."

"Well I would certainly hope not!" I spit back louder than I'd anticipated.

 _Jeez, what the hell is wrong with this servant? She's literally in the middle of a war, on enemy turf, asking me to- oh wait she's talking about the arrow, isn't she?_ I mentally facepalm myself while pulling the arrow from the hem of my pants.

I extend my arm to offer it to her but hesitate. _Even if this is what she meant, I still think I should refuse. After all, I'd be handing over the only tool I have in my possession that can help defend me from her._ As if she read my mind, the servant retracts her hand and instead takes a slow step forward.

"Shirou… may I call you Shirou?" She asks softly. The sudden gentleness in her voice, and grace in her step, catches me off guard. I nod. "Please, I need only hold it and look upon it with my eyes for a moment. Believe me when I say, if it's what I believe it to be, I have no desire of taking it. I promise."

Her words shake me thoroughly. Many different, confusing things lie packed within them. Someone supposed to be my enemy seeming to act out of concern, the familiarity she offered in referring to me by name, and the unnerving way she referred to my arrow. Before I knew it, I'd already handed the arrow over to her.

The servant wastes no time in investigating the object. She reaches up with her free hand and seemingly wafts it over the front of her blindfold mask. The latch on it comes off and the corner over her right eye peels back. She hunches over, veiling her face with her long hair as she inspects the arrow.

I subtly try to garner a peek at her uncovered eye, to no avail. Her hair acts like a wall between her face and my prying eyes. After a brief moment, she straightens back up to her feet. I almost catch a glimpse of her eye, but her hand darts up and quickly fastens the blindfold back on as it was prior. _It's like she knows I'm trying to look… Darn, I'm so curious._

She gestures for me to take the arrow back. I grab and remove it from her hands. Then, she begins walking past me, towards the front of the house. I stand, baffled, as she just continues walking away. I turn around to see she's leaving without so much as a second glance.

"U-Um!" I call out, not sure exactly what to say.

The servant stops walking upon me calling her before turning back to face me. She doesn't reply in any way, so I assume she's waiting for me to ask whatever I stopped her for.

"Uh, what exactly was that? Why did you want to see my arrow?" She pauses for a moment at my question, as though she's thinking how to respond. Then, she answers.

"When you cut me with it during our fight, I was frazzled. Admittedly, I was shocked you actually had something in your possession that could damage me, but I was moreso surprised of what it specifically seemed to be. Then, after having it speared through my skull, I was almost certain my assumption of it was correct. And now, after having seen it with my own eyes, I know." My eyes light up in surprise at her explanation.

"You… You know what my arrow is?!" She nods. "W-Well, tell me! Where did it come from? What's it made of?" Her mouth opens slightly in surprise.

"You… don't know?" She asks, dumbfounded. Her reaction unsettles me, but I still shake my head.

"No. It kinda fell into my possession. It was given to me, you see." My answer causes a slight frown to spread across her face and her head to dip slightly.

"I see…" She says, quietly. Then, even more quietly, she murmurs: "Then, that's even more heartbreaking…" I immediately open my mouth to demand her to be straightforward with me, but she continues before I can manage a single word.

"I will not fight you again, Emiya Shirou. Though I will likely be forced to eventually cross blades with one of the two servants you are allied with, you, I will not harm. This may change if I'm put under the influence of a command seal, but… no. Even then, I swear I won't raise my weapon to you. That is the one solace I can offer you." She confidently states all of this while holding her hand against her chest. My lip twitches slightly into a nervous smile.

"H-Hey… what do you mean?" I can't tell whether to feel as though a heavy weight was lifted from my shoulders or if another was just loaded onto it. "T… Tell me what this arrow is!" For some reason, I suddenly feel threatened. She shakes her head, maintaining her disheartened frown.

"No." She states, firmly and immediately. "I've already done more than enough in burying all hostility towards you, now and forever. Besides… Telling you won't change anything. Not a single thing. Rather, it'd only make things worse."

My hand holding the arrow tremors slightly. I can't help but feel terrified at what the servant is telling me. _What in the world could it be… for it to make my enemy turn docile; to pity me?!_

She seems to notice my unnerved stance. After pondering for a moment, she takes a step towards me.

"If it's not too forthright of me, may I offer you one other thing before I leave you?" Having already been given far too much to swallow, I simply nod at her question without thinking. She offers me a subtle smile as she diminishes the last few steps between us. "Then, pardon me."

I jump slightly as she places her hands on my shoulders. I begin to feel she might be planning to attack to me, but that fear dissipates after her next move. She pulls me into a hug. My head presses against her cushioned chest as she holds me.

"Huh?" I ask, confused.

"This is something humans do to try and console one another, yes? Though, I don't know if it means much coming from someone who's not important to you. Someone who was recently your enemy, even." I'm taken aback by her unexpected gesture. Yet, I can't help but feel myself be put at ease because of it, even if only slightly.

"Thank you, uh… could I maybe know your name?" Another unexpected surprise hits me when she laughs slightly at my question, causing her chest to bounce against my head.

"Bold of you to think you could slip my true name from me under these one-time-only circumstances. Apologies, but I can't let you know my name. You'll likely tell your ally servants which would be a real problem. Instead… just call me Rider."

"Rider…" _It's a shame she refused to give me her name… I genuinely wanted to know. However, it is good to finally know what class she is._ As I let out a content, relieved sigh, the servant loosens her embrace on me and pulls away.

"I have to go now, Shirou." She states, blandly. All traces of the kind, affectionate nature she just displayed are nowhere to be seen. She's back to her normal self.

"Um, Rider, I-" I begin to try and press her to tell me the true nature of the arrow again but stop myself. _She already sternly told me she wouldn't budge on that, so there's no point in asking again. If anything, she might go back on her word and decide to make me her enemy again._ While thinking this, I notice she's waiting expectantly for me to finish my sentence. "…I just wanted to say I hope we meet again." She once more offers me a smile before beginning to walk off.

"Worry not, Emiya Shirou." She calls back to me. "We will cross paths once more. I will make sure of it. Until then, good luck… and be safe." She mumbled the last part of her sentence quietly before jumping over the gate and onto the street in front, out of my sight. I listen to her rapid footsteps, followed shortly by the sound of her bounding and jumping away.

I sigh heavily once I'm sure she's far enough away, letting my composed, comforted visage crumble. _I did not expect anywhere near this much stress as soon as I stepped out of the door tonight. Am I even up for the trip to Tohsaka's anymore?_ I alternate my gaze between the gate and the door several times before exhaling heavily and trudging to the gate. _I told Irisviel I'd help the girl… so might as well._

Once out on the street and on my way to Tohsaka's house, I let my eyes lower to the hand still tightly clutching my arrow. A disturbing feeling settles in my stomach, reminding me of the lingering warmth left by the strange moment when I collapsed earlier today. _What exactly did I accept when the man gave me the arrow that day…?_ Ever since then, I've only seen the arrow in a positive light; as a boon, or a lucky charm. _So, why did it seem to unsettle Rider so much? I don't know, but… I'm worried._

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I sit quietly from my perch, a few blocks past Shirou Emiya's home. Though I can't see him because of my blindfold, I know by the sound of his gate opening and closing, and by his subtle scent being carried on the wind, that he has left to go forth on this night.

Alongside his scent that I've come to known, I also pick up the too-familiar, pungent smell of his "arrow". _Why is it that I decided to linger a while longer before returning?_ I think to myself. It seems absurd to believe I actually worry about the boy, and yet…

I rise to my feet and descend from my perch atop the streetlight once I can no longer detect his smell or hear the treading of his shoes. Despite all signs of him having faded from the distance he's made between us, still I can discern the lingering odor of his weapon. I shake my head before turning and leaping to the first roof towards my route back to the Matou residence.

"Shirou Emiya…" I state while jumping and running from roof to roof. "Perhaps… I should go the extra mile and ensure I survive as long as I can in this War." _I will be waiting with bated breath to see what Fate has in store for him._


	16. Chapter 16

_Huh?_

 _I open my eyes to find myself in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by unfamiliar faces. By the chiseled jawlines and fair hair of the men around the table I'm seated at, I garner that they must be westerners. Even more striking is the full-body metal armor they're all clad in._

 _We all sit in silence at a large, circular table. I'm seated at the head… while the others sit next to each other at the far end. Someone standing to my right, behind me, speaks to all of us present._

"… _and that is the current state of affairs in the kingdom." The man concludes in a gruff, dull voice. "I might also mention- the settlements of our kingdom furthest from our reaches have seen raids and pillaging lately as never before. Some have become occupied by the savages. Survivors no doubt still remain captive by them. What is your decree on this, my king?"_

 _The already tense, unwelcoming atmosphere in the air thickens upon the question being asked. Some of the men seated raise their eyes to me, waiting for the answer. Even though I know it falls upon me to command them, my palms, concealed beneath their gauntlets, still dampen with sweat._

" _Chances are," I begin, speaking in a voice not my own "the villages that were taken have little-to-no survivors remaining. Also, these villages were likely damaged and drained of resources during the raids and invasions. Yes, I deem them lost causes._

" _We will enact a campaign around the perimeter of our territory, destroying any communities that are occupied and reinforcing any that still stand. In the process, we will root out these barbarians and crush them before they can bolster themselves further."_

" _And the citizens they have imprisoned?" The man behind me further questions._

" _We needn't go out of our way to save any of them. If they remain fit and able, then we can recruit them as we march. Otherwise, limit it to the children and young women." My response does nothing to remedy the heavy atmosphere. Even I feel sickened by the words._

" _We can discuss specifics later," the man behind me continues "but can you project the number of troops we will march with? Bear in mind, to traverse the entire perimeter will require quite a bit of resources."_

" _Much like how successfully eliminating all these brigands will require quite a bit of troops, Agravain." I instantly respond. "As for resources, we will draw from our farmers and the like during our route. And, if and when we happen upon any outliers or neighboring settlements, we will simply commandeer their belongings to bolster our forces."_

 _The cold, taciturn plan struck my heart in disbelief._ Take and march. Kill and march. Do this until those who defied us all lie cold. _That is the methodology of the one who conceived this plan._

 _The knights seated across from me all nod. Most have their eyelids shut, yet one or two stares back at me. Their eyes show they comprehend the command, and they hold no shock, no surprise, no grief. Yet, within their gaze I can perceive something else. Irises lacking any semblance of empathy or understanding._

 _They weren't looking at a human._

The sound of steel scratching against steel sounds off as the train skids to a halt on the rails. The noise, paired with the shifting of my body from the sudden stop, jolts me from my slumber.

"Nn… Where?" I look up at the digital panel to see where we stopped. _Huh? What am I doing in this district?_ I sit for a moment, wondering what I'm doing on a train, in the middle of the night, this far from my house.

"…wait." It hits me all of a sudden like a truck. _Th-That's right! I rode out here so I could go to Tohsaka's!_

I jump to my feet and rush to the train's sliding doors as they're closing. I barely manage to squeeze out as they shut right behind me. _Whew. Close one._

I look around to see the station is mostly empty, aside from an old couple who must've got off before me. _No surprise there. Most people wouldn't be out as late as this…_ I begin walking out of the station while reflecting on what just happened.

 _I can't believe I slept during the train ride. How tired was I? I don't even remember falling asleep…_ I recall having a dream right before I woke up and rushed off the train, but I'm having trouble remembering exactly what it was about. _There was a king… although, they sounded like a girl so… a queen? It's fuzzy, but… I remember it felt pretty awful._

I shake my head after trying to remember it for a few minutes, deciding I should focus on finding Tohsaka's house. I stop on the side of the street at a vending machine, wanting to take a break and also gain my bearings.

After getting my drink and cracking open the lid, I continue walking. _All I really know about where her house is, is that it's in the same district as Sakura's. I remember her giving the general area to Irisviel and I before, but…_

While pondering this, I stop walking and look across the street to my right. A western style house stands tall opposite of me. _Huh. That house looks kinda similar to Sakura's. Though, it's a bit modest to call it a house. More like a mansion._ After thinking about it a moment, I get a gut feeling and quickly shuffle across the street.

Once I reach the gate at the front, I glance to the right of it to see a nameplate affixed to the stone column of the gate. _"Tohsaka". Welp, lucky me._ As soon as I confirm this is the place, I rattle the gate to find that it's locked. I alternate my gaze between the many windows of the residence to find that no lights are on. _Welp… lucky me._

"Tohsaka?!" I shout out, just to be sure. After a few moments pass by in silence, I sigh. _She must be out prowling the streets like Irisviel. Or, maybe she's just sleeping in like always. In which case-_ "Tohsaka! Toooohsaka! Tohsakaaaaa! Toe! Saka!"

My repetitive, loud calling of her name, accompanied by the rattling of the front gate, elicit no response from the creepy mansion. _Ok, so she_ is _out somewhere then._ I sigh deeper, in defeat, before releasing my hold of the gate and walking away. _What a huge waste of time! I swear, I need to learn how to refuse when Irisviel asks me to do something…_

I take the final sip of my drink before crushing it under my foot. _Let's see… the trains have all stopped running at this point, so I guess I have no choice but to walk back. Great…_

After tossing the crushed can in a waste bin, I put a little haste in my step to get home quicker. _Though, I suppose I could be like the other two and try to find me a servant to get into a tussle with._ I snicker at the thought while rubbing my wrist slightly. _Yeah, good one Shirou. After getting choke-holded by Rider, I think I've had my fill of fighting tonight._

The walk back home, while long, is majorly uneventful. Unsurprisingly, there's pretty much no one out at this time of night. Aside from a few sneaking cats, I remain alone on my trek back. _It's almost pleasant how peaceful and alone it is at night._

I know I'm close when I pass the familiar general store. _It's the store I go to sometimes for a drink after class, on my way home. I must be making pretty good time then. Odd, I don't feel like I've been walking for that long._

Something catches my eye at the corner of the intersection up ahead. _…? Someone in a cloak?_ The person doesn't seem to notice me and continues walking away after cutting the corner. _Strange, they went left. There's no housing that way, only…_

I pick my pace up to a jog to arrive at the intersection in the street. Once there, I look down the left to see the individual had already covered a vast amount of distance. _They're moving fast._ By their curvature and manner in which they're walking, I can tell it's a woman.

I continue watching afar from the intersection, behind a row of newspaper box dispensers, as she walks down the street. As I predicted, she takes a turn down the street towards the only location the path really leads to; Ryudou Temple.

While maintaining a great distance between me and her, I continue stalking until we arrive at the bamboo-lined forest edge where the staircase ascending up to Ryudou Temple is revealed. I hang back and watch, from a distance where I can barely see her or the temple stairwell, as she indeed begins trekking up the steps.

 _Very interesting. Nighttime wouldn't be my first choice of venue to get in some last-minute worshipping… What is she up to?_ After waiting a while, pondering what to do from here, my gut feeling and curiosity both get the better of me, and I begin walking towards the steps myself.

While walking, it occurs to me that what I'm doing seems very stalkerish. _N-No, that's not it. I'm just worried about the woman's safety. Even if it is a temple, there's no telling whether or not some unsavory people are waiting around to follow her… Like what I'm doing now. Dammit, my intentions are pure! Whatever the case, my gut feeling is screaming bad vibes about that chick and what's going on, and I always listen to my instincts._ While convincing myself that I'm not a creep, I finally arrive at the stairs. Without further ado, I begin walking up after her.

The trek up is nothing new to me. Despite not being particularly religious myself, I've been to the temple multiple times due to it being where my friend Issei works and lives. The monks who reside there are all great people, but there's still something I've always found unsettling and creepy about the place. _The fact that it's alone and isolated up in the forest helps its creepiness factor._

Soon, I can see the top of the stairs and the large, wooden gate leading into the temple. _Maybe I should go find Issei's quarters and give him a little scare once I'm done seeing what that woman's up to. Drape a bedsheet over me and say I'm the ghost of Buddha here to punish them for-_ The flat of a steel blade presses against my chest, halting me in my steps and thoughts. My eyes dart to the right to follow the length of the blade, up to its owner. A purple-haired man donning a smirk, yet staring at me with serious, cold eyes, holds the long sword.

I instantly fall to my rear and press off the stairs, falling back down by 7 or so steps. He doesn't make a move to strike me as I retreat, despite probably being able to. _W-Where did he come from? I didn't see him while I was walking up, I didn't hear him approach me- I didn't even feel as though someone else was near me!_

The man retracts his blade from where it's extended in the air, before pulling it up and placing its flat on his shoulder. _I doubt this is just some rando playing dress up as a samurai. This has to be a servant._

"Greetings, young man." The servant suddenly states. "What is it that brings you up to this holy place, so late at night?" I rise back up to my feet, remaining wary and on-edge as I respond.

"There was a woman who walked up here. Being so late, I was worried for her safety, or possibly the safety of the inhabitants up here, depending on her intentions." Despite confidently answering him, without hesitation, my explanation seems to fall on deaf ears.

"I have a friend from school who lives with the monks, you see." I continue. "More importantly, why are you up here? With a dangerous weapon like that, no less. Were you stalking the woman too?"

"Hardly." He instantly refutes, simply. "I'm-"

"The Assassin servant, right?" I quickly state, cutting him off. "You're using a sword, and you don't look like you can cast magic like a Caster, so you must be Assassin, right?" His semi-confident smirk completely vanishes. His serious eyes briefly flash with surprise before turning into a glare.

"How quaint." He finally mumbles, taking a step down. "Appearances can be deceiving, I suppose. You appeared to be nothing more than a normal, blundering fool. Yet, you seem to know of servants. Even further, you identified my true class on your first try." He continues walking down the steps, towards me. I stand petrified, unsure of what to do.

"Perhaps I should kill you." He declares, stopping two steps in front of me.

"Well, Assassin," I begin "I'd prefer it if you didn't. I have no clue what you're doing up here, and I don't particularly have any qualms with you. Where _did_ you come from anyways? It seemed like you just popped up next to me, out of nowhere."

"I see." He responds after pondering for a moment. "So, you're not that knowledgeable after all. Here I was, thinking you may indeed be a threat. If you knew even the basic fundamentals of the classes, you'd know the Assassin is gifted with the Presence Concealment skill. Hm… you identifying my class must've been just a product of luck; a fluke."

I don't bother confirming his suspicion. _To be fair, he's right. I've encountered almost the entire roster of servants prior to coming up here. If I had never met Saber and encountered him, I probably would've assumed that was his class. However, between the two that remains, he has to be Assassin. He doesn't really strike me as the wizard type._

"For the briefest of moments, I considered the possibility of you being a Master." He continues. "Well, however it is you know of servants, if you go ahead and leave now, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. It wouldn't sit right with me to kill a normal human under these conditions. However, if you insist on pursuing the woman, I'll be forced to stop you."

Doesn't sound like a bad deal. I only followed her up here on a whim. And, for whatever reason, I don't feel confident fighting this servant. _Perhaps if I had my bow… But just being armed with nothing more than my lucky arrow fills me with uncertainty… and after what Rider said, I feel hesitant to even touch it now._

"…Fine." I finally mutter after debating on it. "I'll leave. Just forget I even came here." _I'm not going to beat myself up about it. After all, I found out the identity of two servants tonight. I think I've earned my keep._

"Very well." He answers, beginning to sheath his long katana. "Then begone from my sight. Before I change my-!" All of a sudden, he ceases to sheath his blade before yanking it back out.

I nervously step back, unsure of why he's rearming himself. Then, I hear it. The sounds of air ripping apart from above as something jettisons down. A high-pitched whistling sound rakes across the sky from the noise. I turn my gaze up upon noticing the soft, red-hued glow being cast on the servant and I, and the surrounding footing.

"W-What the hell?!" I scream before rushing down the steps to avoid the descending strike. A multitude of crimson streaks comet down, the focal point being Assassin. I look over my shoulder to see Assassin swat his blade around in a flurry, deflecting shot after shot. Eventually, he jumps back and up the steps from the fire zone, apparently losing his ability to keep up with the increasing magnitude of shots.

I watch as small, bright bursts of light continuously go off from the explosions resulting in the impact of the artillery hitting the stone steps. A light cloud of dust kicks up from the collision and I can feel the stone footing beneath me tremor. Eventually, the downpour of exploding shots finally stops and the dust begins to settle. I quit rapidly descending the steps once I'm sure the attack has ceased. Once I finally have a moment to think, realization crashes on me.

"Wait, that strike seems familiar… I know that attack! It's-" I look up again, expecting to see what will confirm my suspicions.

A red-cloaked blur darts through the air, just above my head. It glides through the air and swiftly into the dust cloud. No sooner than it enters the concealing cloud, the sound of blades violently colliding breaks out. The impact kicks up a powerful gust that blows the lingering dust away, revealing two figures with their blades crossed. Assassin and the all-too-familiar Archer.

"How cowardly of you to accept Assassin's proposal of running off with your tail between your legs, Shirou Emiya." Once he states this, I know without a doubt in my heart that it is indeed Archer. My mind races to keep up and piece together exactly what's happening. While trying to discern the current situation, I finally notice the approaching footsteps behind me just as they arrive next to me, at my right side. They belong to none other than Rin Tohsaka.

"Good work Emiya," she states, patting me on the shoulder "we'll take it from here."

Assassin grunts before pushing into their locked blades and knocking Archer back. Archer descends gracefully down a few steps, getting some distance between him and Assassin. He looks back at Tohsaka and I with a victorious smile.

"What'd I tell you, Rin?" He asks in a rhetoric tone. "He led us right to him." _"He led us right to him"? What in the world is he talking about!?_ I look to Tohsaka in hopes to ask her to clarify, but she speaks up before I can.

"Yeah. You also said you could take down the servant with a single blow. And look where we are now!" she shouts up at Archer in annoyance.

"I could have if you would've let me go all out. But you just had to insist that I didn't catch Shirou Emiya in the blast, so I had to hold back. I-" His tangent is cut short as he raises his paired swords to block Assassin's sudden, quick strike.

"How bold of you to land a cowardly, surprise attack only to unveil yourselves before me and begin petty, nonsensical arguing!" Assassin spits out at Archer, appearing to be clearly beyond pissed off. He then turns his glare down to me. "I should've known better than to lower my guard. To think, you had reinforcements waiting for just such a moment." _No! No, I didn't! I'm just as lost as you!_

"Equally bold of you, Assassin." Archer begins while tensing up and pressing harder against their clashed swords. "For you to still fight after seeing the force behind my first attack!" Archer releases his hold on one of his blades, the black one, and lets it fade to dust. Quickly following that move, he lowers the empty hand and resummons a copy of the blade into it, before striking up at Assassin beneath their interlocked weapons.

"Ngh!" Assassin grunts and has his expression filled with shock at Archer's feint strike. Surprisingly, he manages to block the attack by shifting his grip higher on his handle and intercepting the blade with the pommel, before falling back from the force of the blow.

"Wh-What's going on?!" I can't contain it any longer and blurt the question out, looking at Tohsaka in utter confusion.

"Shh!" She immediately responds, pressing her finger against my lips. "We'll explain everything later! For now, we must focus on the fight."

I knock her hand away from my mouth in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance before turning my attention back to the two servants. Assassin remains in a defensive stance, higher up on the stairs, while Archer stands neutral, his blades having dematerialized. _What's he doing?! He's in the middle of a fight and he's just standing there like an idiot!_ Tohsaka appears to be having the same thought as me, indicated by her furrowed brow and gritted teeth.

"Archer! What're you just standing there for?!" Her question is answered only by him turning back to look at her expectantly. Her eyes flash with understanding. "You must really like me ordering you around, huh? Well then, Archer I order you to engage in combat with Assassin. There's no need to hold back." He smiles at her confirmation of fighting the servant.

"Well, if you insist." He mutters sarcastically.

Only a moment of quiet longer, and he makes his move. Archer effortlessly darts forward again with blue sparks coursing along his arms. In the next instant, he arrives at Assassin with the two blades having formed in his grasps once more.

The two slash, deflect, and exchange blows at an incredible pace. Assassin's form and stance both seem unbreakable, while Archer's speed and aggressiveness are unrelenting. Neither appear to take any strikes directly, though it's hard for me to tell for certain with how fast they're moving.

Assassin manages to dodge a thrusting strike made by Archer. He uses the opening to jump from his elevated step and land a descending slash. Archer somehow pulls back and raises his blades in time to intercept the attack. I swear my heart skips a beat at what happens next.

Despite stopping the slash, the force seems to be too much for Archer's blades. The pair of curved swords each crack along the bade before shattering and dispersing into the air. Assassin doesn't waste the chance and adjusts the blade in his grip as he lands on his feet. After angling the weapon so the sharp faces up towards Archer, he swipes towards his neck.

"Archer!" Tohsaka shouts, taking a step forward. Before I realize it, I've begun rushing up the steps to Archer's aid. I run up the steps, that is, until I notice the expression on Archer's face. Calm and collected, looking as though nothing is amiss and everything's fine. His visage makes me stop mid stride.

" _I am the bone of my sword._ "

My eyes, and likely everyone else's present other than Archer's, light up in surprise as Assassin's blade is intercepted before it can strike Archer's throat. Intercepted by two steel longswords that instantly materialized in the air, crossed in front of Archer's neck.

"W-What?!" Assassin blurts out in disbelief.

Without skipping a beat, Archer reaches up and takes each sword by the handle before knocking aside Assassin's blade. He follows with a swift kick to the disoriented servant's chest. Instead of rebounding and pressing the offensive, Assassin backsteps and enters a defensive stance while glaring at Archer.

"What kind of- How many Noble Phantasms do you have?! And to be able to summon them all in just an instant!" Assassin continues to try and make sense of Archer's ability to spit out Noble Phantasms, understandably.

"Apologies, Assassin." Archer responds. "Normally I would be a bit more restrained, but my master did say for me to go all out." Archer, for the briefest of moments, glances at me before refocusing his attention on the enemy. "And, I suppose, just this once I can indeed let my hair down, so to speak."

"What is-" Assassin's words die in his throat as Archer blitzes in front of him, even quicker than before. Like a windmill, Archer's arms rotate and slash at Assassin in an entirely different fighting style than what he used while wielding the pair of curved swords. I fully believe his statement of not holding back when I witness him break through Assassin's defense to land a cut, albeit a small one, along his upper left arm.

"Dammit!" Assassin shouts, before twisting his blade and jabbing a precise stab at the hilt of Archer's left sword.

The blade gets knocked from Archer's grip, falling down and clattering on the steps. Instead of making a follow-up attack, Assassin appears to instead opt for retaking higher ground by ascending the steps. Archer remains unfazed and chases Assassin, leaving his disarmed blade to disappear on the ground where it fell.

Once at the final, top step, Assassin leaps into the air, heading for the top of the arched, wooden gate. Archer surprises me by chucking his longsword after the servant before leaping up to the gate himself. The intention of the blade throw is revealed when it jabs into the cloth of Assassin's traditional robes, pinning his right foot against the wooden structure.

"Gh! Impressive, Archer." Assassin hastily states, before ripping at his cloth-tied waist. Once the cloth belt is off, he quickly rips himself from his purple Hakama, exposing his undergarments and bandaged legs. Archer lands at the opposite end of the wooden beam.

"Thanks. Though, probably not as impressive as you." Archer responds, once again relaxing into his aloof stance. "Your skill is undeniable. And, just now, you wasted no time in disrobing so that you could meet me the moment I landed. A true warrior indeed." Assassin contrasts Archer by entering his dedicated stance once more, readying to pounce at Archer.

"Spare me the compliments." Assassin mutters. "I would like to know the nature of your fighting, though. They call you 'Archer', yet aside from your initial bombardment, you've used nothing but swords while fighting me. I've never met nor heard of a warrior like you…" Archer shrugs his shoulders before lifting his right hand, crackling with the familiar blue energy, forward.

"And you don't expect me to reveal that nature to you either, right?" Archer queries. Assassin solemnly shakes his head. _Right. It'd be a huge disadvantage to reveal what hero you are or what your strengths are to an enemy…_ "However," Archer continues "since you're so insistent on it, just for you, I'll use something besides my swords, too."

"No!" Assassin shouts, darting across the wooden beam. He slashes at Archer, but it's met with empty air. Archer jumps above Assassin, a black bow having been formed in his grip, before shooting off a volley of crimson shots straight down.

I shut my eyes and reel at the attack. The noise and destruction of the confrontation are starting to make me worry. I turn to Tohsaka to see she's simply staring in awe at the prolonged confrontation. I retrace my steps back down the stairs while the servants continue fighting until I arrive next to Tohsaka once more.

"Tohsaka?" I call out, snapping her from her enraptured viewing. "We really need to wrap this up as soon as possible. Their tussle is causing a lot of damage, and someone from the temple is gonna take notice of all this noise, if they haven't already." She nods in agreement, finally donning her serious expression again.

"Archer!" She yells, drawing his attention from the fight as he's loading a barbed, jagged object into his bow. "Didn't I tell you not to hold back!? You're dragging this fight on too long. Hurry up and end it!" He sighs, dematerializing the bow in his hands and blocking Assassin's strike with the barbed weapon.

"Fine, I'll end it right now!" He shouts, knocking Assassin away before tossing aside the odd weapon. "Kanshou! Bakuya!" He loudly declares, summoning his trademark paired swords into his hands.

Archer presses the offensive against Assassin with, surprisingly, even more gusto than before. Despite seeming to be very seasoned and skilled, the short weapons and close combat tactics of Archer are apparently finally getting the best of Assassin and his long weapon. He knows this too, shown by him constantly backstepping to try and get breathing room from Archer, only for Archer to stay right on him like a bloodhound.

"Fine then." Assassin states upon reaching the edge of the wooden beam. "Then I'll give it my all right now as well!"

With that comment, Assassin crouches down before leaping high into the air. The moon ghosts his figure from high in the sky, painting out only a shadow above. Archer appears to become more tense, as though he knows something bad is about to happen. He extends his arm clutching the silver curved sword back before throwing it at Assassin with great force. Assassin effortlessly dodges the attack, the blade disappearing into the dark sky above.

"Prepare yourself, Archer!" Assassin shouts as he rapidly falls from the sky. Archer drops from the top of the wooden gate while throwing the remaining, lone sword up at Assassin. Assassin dodges this one as well, before entering a stance I've yet to see him use as he closes the distance from above.

Archer, appearing to not be moving from where he stands below the gate, summons another pair of the swords before throwing them simultaneously at Assassin. However, these blades fly in a twirling pattern while also swerving and traveling through the air in an odd manner. Assassin deflects and swats the blades away this time, probably being unable to dodge because of their odd flight pattern.

I grow worried when I notice Archer still making no move to run from his spot. _He's not seriously planning on taking this blow from Assassin, is he? The last time he tried to block a strike from above, both his weapons broke, and he was almost decapitated! And that was only from a jump a few steps above him! Not to mention if Assassin plans to do what Lancer did- unleash his noble phantasm. There's no telling what could happen._

"It's over, Archer." Assassin loudly declares, having almost descended upon him.

Archer answers by summoning yet another pair of the blades. _What is he doing?! Throwing them obviously isn't working!_ However, instead of launching these swords up at Assassin, Archer instead crosses them and raises them above his head, pointing them to Assassin.

"A-Are you stupid, Archer?!" I shout up at him, not believing what I'm seeing. "You couldn't block it the first time with those swords, what makes you think you can now?!"

"He's right, Archer!" Assassin yells, only a few seconds away from collision. "But it's too late to do anything else. Your fate is sealed! This strike! Will end it!"

My words don't make Archer falter and he continues to show no signs of nervousness or hesitation. _Does he seriously expect to survive this? Or… does he have a plan?_ Assassin's figure descends past the top of the tree line, only a breath away from Archer.

"Tsubami-" Assassin states, his blade beginning to display a purple sheen beneath the moon's light. "Ga-"

"Wrong, Assassin." Archer interrupts him, a victorious smile gracing his lips. Upon him uttering this, I finally notice the slight whirring noise from above and the sound of branches and leaves being hacked as something slashes through the trees.

My eyes widen. In the next moment, all within the same instant, a pair of black and white cyclones with crimson and azure trails respectively converge from the sky above and from the wooded treeline, behind Assassin.

Assassin's eyes mimic my own, widening in realization and lighting up in shock. Though, in his own words, it's too late to do anything else.

" _THIS_ strike ends it!" Archer shouts. The Kanshou and Bakuya pair he's holding crackle with the blue energy briefly before violently bursting and expanding in length.

The red and blue streaks converge. Archer shouts something, but I'm unable to hear it from the sound of metal clashing, flesh rending, and steel exploding. Assassin's limp body falls behind Archer and ragdolls while skidding across the ground.

Archer remains standing with each arm extended on either side of him, holding the handles of his weapons, with no blades attached, having been shattered. Something suddenly falls from the air and in front of my feet, causing me to jump slightly. I once again jump in my skin when I look down to see that it's Assassin's dismembered arm. _Holy hell…_

"Rise, Assassin." Archer states, without turning around. "To think, you still managed to deploy your Noble Phantasm, striking a pair of the blades from the sky and destroying the one in my left hand. All in a fraction of a moment." I'm surprised to see Assassin actually stand up and onto his feet without so much as staggering. "You really are quite the warrior."

"I believe- *cough*… I believe I told you to keep your compliments to yourself." Assassin is clearly not flattered by Archer's remark.

His mouth drips with blood after him having coughed it up. Again, his arm is missing, his left one to be precise, but he also suffered other injuries. A long, deep gash lies in his right shoulder and a matching one is dragged across his left side, right below his ribcage. _How in the world… does he have the strength to stand?_

"My condolences." Archer apologizes, appearing serious. "I won't dishonor you further." _I fail to understand how exactly he dishonors him by doing so._ Archer turns to look up at the wooden gate leading into Ryudou Temple.

"Before I finish this, tell me one thing, Assassin. You could've run instead of fighting or withdrew when you saw your disadvantage. Even now, after suffering these grievous wounds, you still make no attempt to run. Instead… you guard this gate."

Assassin glares at Archer before raising his arm clutching the blade in a threatening manner. _Archer seems to be implying something about Assassin's stubbornness in continuing to fight. I chalked it up to him simply being a stereotypical honor-bound warrior, but…_

"Tell me, Assassin." Archer continues. "Why do you stand guarding this gate? What lies past it that you must protect?" Assassin doesn't respond immediately, only standing still with his blade readied.

"You're looking too deep into it." He finally responds. "The truth holds no deeper meaning than simply an imperfect summoning. Because of such, I can't leave this gate and can only conduct my business about it. That is all."

"Really? Even still-"

"That is all!" Assassin shouts while taking a step, albeit wobbly and unstable, forward, cutting Archer's response off. "There is nothing of interest beyond the gate. I've no duty, nothing to protect." Archer furrows his brow and grits his teeth at the enemy's insistence.

"Tch! Very well." Archer answers, extending both of his arms forward. "If that's how you want to play it, fine. I'll honor your wish." Assassin, for a fleeting moment, appears to offer a grateful smile to Archer. The blue energy indicative of Archer's weapon summoning courses throughout his arms.

Assassin leaps forward, closing the distance from Archer. I watch in awe at the fact Assassin can still move with such grace and force after receiving mortal wounds. Upon arriving at Archer, he makes a powerful, final thrusting attack. _Probably his best move since he only has one appendage left to handle that lengthy blade, but…_ Archer already had his sword readied.

Assassin's blade slices and glides through nothing but air, slipping from his grasp. His body falls in a slump on the ground. A fraction of a second later, his head thumps and rolls across the ground, a few feet from the rest of his body. If I hadn't been so accustomed to seeing death, the scene portrayed before me would probably make my stomach turn. Archer lowers the longsword, slick with blood, before dematerializing it and turning to face Tohsaka and I.

"It's over, my master." He solemnly states, walking down the steps. "Assassin has been neutralized." Tohsaka begins walking forward to meet him, and I soon follow in suit.

While ascending the stairs, Assassin's lifeless body catches my attention. An almost gold dust is rising from his body, as it slowly disappears. For whatever reason, an urging sensation prompts me to look back at where I once stood. Upon doing so, I see a blood splatter on a stone step. _That's where Assassin's arm fell. Where…? I suppose it disappeared prior to the rest of his body._

"It's about damn time, Archer." Tohsaka snaps, drawing my attention forward again. "Even when I flat-out tell you to do something, you insist on having your good fun, don't you?" Archer shakes his head in response.

"With all due respect, master, there's nothing fun about killing." Archer states before glancing back at the remnants of Assassin. "Especially this time."

"Regardless," Tohsaka continues "let's hurry and do a quick sweep over the temple. I want to see what Assassin was-"

"Did you not hear him?" Archer questions, interrupting her. "He said there's nothing of interest lying in the temple."

"And you believe him?!" Tohsaka barks at him. "Even if there isn't, it wouldn't hurt to-"

"Besides," Archer continues, ignoring Tohsaka's insistence "with as much noise as that last attack I made caused, someone from the temple will no doubt be here to investigate soon. You want to stick around here for that?" Tohsaka joins me in looking around to see stone steps, part of the wooden gate, and even a few trees completely destroyed.

"That completely slipped my mind…" Tohsaka mumbles. "Y-You're right! Let's hurry and get out of here. But don't think this is the end of this! We're coming back for further investigation as soon as we're able!"

Archer nods before dissipating. Tohsaka starts quickly running down the steps and I begrudgingly begin following after her. _Archer can't actually think nothing fishy is going on in the place Assassin was clearly guarding, right? And then there was that woman I saw come up here… Come to think of it, didn't Assassin mention if I tried to follow her, he'd kill me…?_

* * *

After walking down the sidewalk in silence for a while, passing street lamp after street lamp, I lose my patience. I hasten my pace and walk up behind Tohsaka before grabbing the back of her sleeve and tugging on it. She looks back at me, clearly annoyed.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?!" I snap. "We've been walking for half an hour and you're not even acknowledging what just happened! When are you going to tell me how you even ended up there?"

"You still haven't figured it out?" She questions while pulling her arm from my grip. "We followed you, obviously." Her response surprises me. _I considered that might've been the case, but I couldn't figure out why they'd do so._

"What? Why?"

"No need to get so angry at me, Emiya. It was Archer's idea in the first place." _Oh. Yeah, that makes sense._ Speak of the devil, Archer materializes in his physical form before joining us as we walk.

"Well," I continue "care to explain what prompted you to decide on stalking me tonight, Archer?" He scoffs at my question.

"Don't flatter yourself too much, Shirou Emiya." He responds. "Originally, my master was going to remain cooped up in her house to try and discern a pattern between Caster's targets to predict where they'd strike next."

"And then," Tohsaka begins, continuing for Archer "Archer suddenly appeared before me, in my study. He told me that he saw you, Shirou, from where I had him posted as lookout. You were down the street and approaching my house. Archer believed he had a better idea of how we could spend tonight instead of studying Caster's actions. So, he turned out all the lights and instructed me to wait until you left. Which I thought might never happen because you stayed out by the gate shouting my name like a moron for so long." I grow embarrassed that they were, in fact, present in the house and just let me make a fool of myself.

"Once you left," Archer continues "I told Rin that we should follow you and see where you go. So, that's just what we did. The result was what unfolded before you at the temple."

"That's all well and good," I begin "but why did you decide to follow me in the first place? Do you guys really trust me that little?"

"That's not it at all, you idiot." Tohsaka refutes, coldly. "Archer believes you have a knack for running into servants. He thought if we followed you, you might stumble upon Caster or another enemy servant. After seeing what happened tonight, it's apparently true. For whatever reason, you're like a magnet for them." It dawns on me that what she's saying might be true. _I haven't really thought about it, but I suppose I_ have _run into every servant except for the one Tohsaka's been looking for all this time, Caster. I just assumed they weren't trying hard to make themselves scarce…_

"Well, what if I hadn't found a servant and just went straight home?" I ask.

"Then I'd make you let me stay over since you wasted my time and rip Archer a new one for also wasting my time." She responds, seriously. _Well, I'm glad I happened to find one then…_

After walking and chatting about various things for a while longer, I recall the woman and begin wondering what she was doing. _All things considered; she was likely Assassin's master. Maybe she knew I was pursuing her so she led me into him so that he could shoo me away._

"So," I begin "what do you think the deal with that woman was?" My question is met only with confused stares from Tohsaka and Archer.

"Woman? What woman?" Archer asks.

"Didn't you see the woman at the four-way intersection? Right past the general store?" They both shake their head after thinking on it for a moment. "I thought you said you followed me…"

"We did, but we weren't exactly right on your tail the entire time." Tohsaka responds. "You didn't make it very easy for us to. We had to maintain enough distance so we wouldn't be caught, but we also had to manage to keep up with you. You were walking so fast that if we lost focus for just a moment, we would've lost track of you. Actually, we _did_ almost lose you several times." _Uh, I don't think I was going_ that _fast._

"Why do you think we waited so long to launch an attack on Assassin?" Archer asks, rhetorically. "We weren't there yet." _I suppose that does make sense._ "Anyways, what is this about a woman? You encountered someone suspicious?" I shake my head.

"No, not necessarily. I just thought it was bizarre that a lady would be out this late at night by herself. I would've thought she was just stopping by the general store, but it's not open at this time so…" After saying this, they both become dismissive and seem to lose interest in it.

"You're just thinking about it too much, Emiya." Tohsaka states. "No need to pry into the private affairs of girls. Come on, quit being such a worrywart. We just drew first blood. We should be celebrating, if anything!"

"I-I guess." I respond, unsure.

"More importantly," she continues "why is it you came all the way out to my house in the first place? Surely you didn't have any ill-intentions, right?"

"Of course not." I respond, unamused. "Irisviel requested that I go and help you. I tried calling your house phone, but you didn't pick up." Tohsaka appears a little surprised by my response.

"Irisviel?" She murmurs. "Odd, I didn't picture her as the Tsundere type." _No, that's you._ I wouldn't dare say such a thing out loud, though.

Finally, we arrive at my house. I go to offer the two to stay, but I'm met with Tohsaka already opening the front door to go in and Archer leaping up to the rooftop. _Not surprising… Wait. How did she open the door? I locked it before I left!_

"T-Tohsaka? How did you?" She responds to my question by raising her hand in the air, a brass key between her fingers. "Where did you get that?!"

She tugs her eyelid down and sticks her tongue out at me before running away and through the doorway into the dining room. _At least take your shoes off before you run around the house!_ I go inside and begin taking my shoes off while feeling my patience with the girl already waning.

"Emiya!" I hear her shout at me. "Hurry up and come whip up something for us to eat. I'm starving!" I sigh and begin trudging towards the room to join her. _Irisviel. Please hurry home._


	17. Chapter 17

Wassup readers. It's been a while since I've updated, I know. My bad. I finally got around to making a cover art for this story, which I'll upload along with this chapter. Before you start roasting me, no, I'm not an artist, so don't expect it to look good. The art depicts what Shirou's lucky arrow roughly looks like, in case you were curious as to how it looked. Alright, peace.

* * *

I set the boxed lunch Irisviel prepared for me down on the table, in front of Tohsaka. She offers me a smile before lifting the lid, preparing to dig in. Her smile vanishes after seeing the contents of the box.

"Huh?" She mumbles, confused. "This looks pretty bland. Couldn't you have made something a bit more appetizing? And maybe hot, too?"

"You better watch what you say." I respond in irritation while taking my seat across the table. "That's food Irisviel made before she left. It's as valuable as gold; you better savor it." Looking slightly taken aback by my words, she begins pushing it across the table to me.

"Eh, that's alright. You can have it, if it's that important. I'll just go get some cookies or someth-"

"No, no, no." I interrupt, pushing the boxed lunch back across the table. "I'd much rather you eat it… and tell me how delicious it is when you're done. Besides, I'm not hungry." She nervously takes it back before nodding.

"A-Alright." She grumbles before taking her first bite.

I sit quietly while Tohsaka eats, checking my phone's emails in one hand and scratching my back using the arrow with the other. _Still haven't heard anything from Sakura. Nothing from Issei, either. I should probably drop by school over the next few days to check up on them._ I occasionally glance at Tohsaka, who's still dutifully eating without saying a word.

"I know the class of that servant who ambushed me, by the way." I mention while twirling my arrow around. "She's the Rider class servant."

"Rider, huh?" Tohsaka questions between bites. "So, how did you find out the class? Did you just happen to remember it?"

"Something like that." I respond after pondering for a bit. "Also, are you planning on telling me how you got that key to our place?"

"Irisviel thought I should have one." She responds simply. _Guess I can't really complain then… But damn, I wish she'd talk to me about these things before she goes and does them._

"Regardless," she continues "that is not what's important right now. We need to finally talk about this Rider servant and her master. I believe you told me you'd have a full list of potential people who hate you?" She asks the last part sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah. Give me a sec." I mutter.

I begin thinking about all the possible people who could hate me enough to have a hit put on me. _Of course, I know plenty of people who don't like me. However, I can't think of anyone who could possibly hate me_ that _much. The only person I can think of would be that rich asshole who I clobbered after he tried to force himself onto Irisviel. That couldn't be right, though; you have to be a mage to have a servant and he didn't exactly strike me as the magic-type. Not to mention, as far as I know, he doesn't even live in Japan anymore. The Yakuza made sure of that._

"…I don't know." I finally state, not being able to think of anyone. "All I know is it's a 'he' and he hates me."

"Well, it'd likely be in your best interest to figure out who it is soon." I nod at her statement. _Though, I doubt I'm really in any danger if Rider's words hold any truth. Her words…_

My gaze falls down to my hand idly twirling the arrow. _What does she know about it that I don't? If only I knew who that man was; I could find him and learn more about the arrow._ I sigh and drop the object from my grip, letting it fall on top of the table. _Maybe one day…_

"*yawwwn* Mm, thanks for the food, Emiya." Tohsaka tiredly states while rising from the table. "I think I'm going to go crash, finally. I haven't slept all night. Will you be using your bed, or?" I shake my head without looking up.

"No, I'm not very tired yet. Though, I'd prefer it if you didn't use it, either." But alas, it was too late. The girl had already left the room to make her way there as soon as I'd said "no".

I contemplate for a few moments what I should do now. Even though last night was extremely busy and hectic, I feel oddly sluggish and bored. _I still haven't gotten a new target, so archery practice is out of the question. I've done about as much as I can on the roof without buying the new supplies. Hmm…_

I recall how I haven't heard from Issei or Sakura in a while. _Oh, that's it! I can use this day to swing by school and check things out! I doubt Irisviel or Tohsaka will be busy since they were out all night, and I've been itching to make sure Sakura's ok. There's also the matter of that strange woman who crept up to the Ryuudou Temple last night; I'd like to let Issei know about that as soon as possible._

"Alright then, it's settled." I declare whilst standing up.

I walk out of the dining room. As I step out into the hallway, the front door further down the hall simultaneously opens. A disgruntled Irisviel walks in, followed shortly behind by Saber.

"*sigh* Oh? You're already up, Shirou? Did you-"

Her sentence falls short. It's interrupted by two arms wrapping tightly around her in an embrace. My arms. Without even realizing it, as soon as I saw her face, I rushed up to her and pulled her into a hug. _This warmth, this sensation. It really is her._

"…Thank goodness." I state quietly.

"Um, Shirou?" Irisviel shyly questions against my chest.

I open my eyes to see Saber looking at me curiously with a slight blush tinted across her cheeks. I look down to see Irisviel matching Saber's blush with even more intensity. My rationality catches up with the sudden spur of emotions and I realize I tugged Irisviel into a bear hug the moment she walked through the front door. I quickly remove my arms and take a step back.

"S-Sorry, I don't know what came over me." I apologize while feeling my own face begin to heat up. "Well… I have to go get ready so, later!" I quickly begin walking down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Shirou, wait." Irisviel calls after me, but I ignore it and keep walking, hoping to avoid any further embarrassment.

 _Dammit, Shirou._ I silently curse myself while sorting through the folded clean clothes in the washing room. _It's not like me to let my emotions get the better of me. What's the deal?_ I'm usually the one fighting off Irisviel's constant attempts at hugs and kisses, but here I am wrapping myself around her the moment she walks through the door. I sigh while setting aside my uniform from the rest of the dry laundry.

 _I hadn't realized… how worried I was._ Sure, I've constantly been fretting over her finding that child all night in the back of my mind, but… when I saw her walk through that front door, I only then realized just how worried I'd been. _How_ scared _I was…_ I change into my school slacks and undershirt before stepping out into the hall, simultaneously pulling on my school jacket.

Upon arriving, I peek my head through the doorway into the dining room. Irisviel is nowhere to be seen, but Saber, however, is sitting at the table dutifully with her eyes shut.

"Um… Irisviel isn't with you?" Saber reacts to my question by opening one eye to look at me.

"No. My master went straight to bed after that little encounter with you. I'd also be in my quarters resting right now, but I thought you may want to train some before I do so." I shake my head.

"Actually, I was planning on going to the school today." I answer. "There were a few things I wanted to check out." Saber shuts her eye.

"I see…" She responds. After a moment passes with her saying nothing else, I move to head down the hall towards the front door. As I do, she speaks up again. "This afternoon, then?" _This afternoon? Oh, she must be referring to training._

"Yeah, sure thing. I'll try to get back home as soon as possible." She nods in response and I take this as permission to finally head out.

Before I walk away from the doorway, something catches my eye on top of the table. _The arrow._ I stare at it for a bit, thinking. _I can't shake the disturbed feeling lingering in me after that encounter with Rider._ After debating with myself, I decide, against my better nature, to leave the arrow here for the day.

I rip my gaze from the object and continue walking down the hall while pulling my phone from my pocket. I find Sakura's contact and hit the dial button while bending down to pick up my shoes.

"*ring* *ring* Mn, hello? *yawn*" Sakura tiredly questions through the phone.

"Hello? Sakura?" A pause.

"S-Senpai?! Hi- Hello- Good morning! What's up?"

"Hey, I know I haven't been to school lately, but I'm going to attend today. It's been a while, so do you want to walk together?"

* * *

Once the Matou estate come into view further down the street, I see Sakura already waiting in front of the gate. It doesn't take her long to notice me and begin running my way. After reaching each other and exchanging greetings, we begin the route to school.

"So, how've things been?" I casually ask after subtly sizing her up and down to see any signs of abuse. She giggles slightly.

"If you're asking if Shinji's been bothering me again, you don't need to worry. Ever since he _mysteriously_ became all battered and beaten up, he seems hesitant to even tell me hello." I feel slightly relieved at her response.

"I see." I respond. "That's good."

"What about you?" She asks. "You haven't been to school the past few days. What's the deal?" I'm surprised by the mom-like sternness in her voice.

"Ah, you know. Life's been kinda hectic lately. Irisviel wanted to plan a trip out of Fuyuki and then… an associate of my late father came to stay with us, so we've been dealing with that as of late."

"You… mean that Saber girl- right?" I notice Sakura sounds short of breath while she asks this question.

"Yeah, her. Weird name, right?" I ask jokingly. "You know, I actually wasn't planning on coming to school today. But I wanted to ask Issei something that's been bugging me. Plus, I haven't seen you in a while and I wanted to make sure everything is still going good."

"Oh yeah?" She questions from a few paces back, having fallen behind. "I'm *huff* happy you wanted to see me. You- You've been on my mind too. Um, Shirou is there… any way you can slow your pace a little? I'm *gasp* having trouble keeping up."

"Huh? I'm not walking that fast." I look back at Sakura, out of breath, in confusion, but still comply by slowing my pace. "You might want to cut back on the carbs if you're that out of shape." I state teasingly before poking her stomach.

"Wha-?! No, I take my diet very seriously. I don't look overweight!... Do I?" I quickly backpedal and assure her I was just teasing her after noticing her eyes getting watery.

We continue discussing pleasantries, Sakura having to tell me a few more times to slow down, until we arrive at school. It takes me a while to finally shake off Sakura and send her off to class, allowing me to begin my search for Issei. _There's still a bit of time until homeroom, so he's likely in the Student Body room._ I've already begun making my way there while thinking this.

As I'm turning to cut the corner to the hall the Student Body room lies, I feel a hand firmly plant itself on my shoulder. I turn, alarmed, to find Miss Fujimura behind me.

"Well, well. Look who decided to show up." She states, trying to sound stern.

"Good morning to you too, Tai- Miss Fujimura." I notice her eyebrow twitches at me almost slipping up.

"Yeah, sure. You know, if you want to skip school that's all well and good, but you should at least show up to practice." _Uh, I don't think that's something a teacher should say._ "I'm sure you already know, but there's a competition just around the corner. Are you going to miss that as well?" I scratch the back of my head while smiling nervously.

"Well, I mean… Yeah, probably. I wasn't planning on missing so much school and practice, but some baggage of my old man's rolled into town recently and I've had all my time preoccupied with that." She stares at me curiously.

"Kiritsugu? Is this pertaining to that blonde foreigner who you came to school with a while back?" I nod.

"Yes, her name's Saber. She's an old associate of Kiritsugu. Me and Irisviel have been trying to sort out some business regarding her." She appears deep in thought by what I've said.

"Speaking of Irisviel," she finally begins "I think I'll be paying you and her a visit in the coming days. Just to make sure you're telling the truth and not actually sneaking around with a foreign lover."

"W-What? Do you really think I would-"

"Alriiiiight!" she loudly states while patting me on the back. "I'll see you later in class!" With that, she rushes off down the hall. _Ugh, the last thing I need is her popping up at the house. There's no telling what she'll do when she sees Tohsaka squatting there as well… Oh well, cross that bridge when I get to it._

I open the sliding door of the Student Body room immediately upon arriving. Thankfully, I find Issei sitting at the table inside, sipping on a cup of tea. His eyes light up in surprise as I enter and close the door behind me.

"Emiya?" He questions. "I didn't expect to see you this morning. I haven't seen hide nor hair of you for a while now. I was starting to worry." I scoff while taking a seat at the table across from him.

"You must not have been that worried." I respond. "I haven't gotten and email or text, much less a phone call, from you while I've been gone."

"*sigh* Sorry, sorry. It's been a busy week. I've been lining up paperwork and meetings with the school about replacing and resupplying classes with heaters and other necessary appliances. Oh, and it only gets worse once I return to the temple. It's been nothing but work and drama there lately." _The temple…_

"That reminds me, Issei." I begin. "That's actually the main reason I showed up at school today." He perks up slightly and becomes more attentive as I say this. "I don't know if you know anything about this, but there was a suspicious woman skulking around late last night. I saw her head up into the temple, so I was worried she might be up to something."

"A woman?" he asks after thinking for a moment. "Did you see what she looked like?" I shake my head.

"No, she was wearing a dark cloak and I was far away from her the whole time."

"Hm. Well, if you're sure it was a woman, then it was probably the fiancée who's been staying at the temple recently. Though, I have no clue why she'd be out so late."

"Fiancée?" I ask, curious. He nods his head.

"Yeah, you didn't know? Well, probably not considering you've been absent recently. Mr. Kuzuki apparently got engaged and has been staying in the temple with his soon-to-be wife, as per his request." I'm surprised by this revelation. _Mr. Kuzuki… He's a strange man, I never would've pinned him as the settling down type._

"Issei, when did he and this woman show up and start staying at the temple? If you don't mind my asking." I make a mental note as he tells me the precise date. _What a coincidence. That's only a couple of days before Irisviel and I got roped into this Holy Grail War._

"Um, Emiya." Issei begins, snapping me from my thoughts. "Is there something different about you?" I look at him inquisitively.

"How so? I look different?" He shakes his head.

"No, I don't think it's that… Is it your personality? No, not quite… Hm, I can't really explain it, but it's just something about you. Your vibe is different."

"My vibe?" I question while suppressing the urge to laugh at how focused he seems. He nods in response. "Maybe. You're probably picking up on all the stress I'm harboring from how hectic it's been lately." Issei shrugs his shoulders before picking up his glass of tea.

"Maybe." He states after taking a sip.

I enjoy a cup of tea and a bit of idle chitchat with Issei for a while before excusing myself and standing from the table. _Considering the time, and the encounter with Assassin, it makes perfect sense that this woman is, or rather was, a master… but, how does Mr. Kuzuki fit into the equation, then?_

I think this while opening the door and walking into the hall. As I close the door, I notice a presence standing next to the doorway. I look to see Shinji leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for me to emerge from the room.

"Hello, Emiya." He greets me in a nasally voice. I notice a thick bandage and metal bracket across his nose bridge, causing me to cringe upon the memory of breaking it. _I feel like I should apologize, but-_

"What do you want, Shinji?" He doesn't appear surprised by my obvious hostility at all. Instead, he straightens to his feet and turns to face down the hallway while beckoning at me with his hand.

"Would you mind joining me? I have something pressing that I really need to discuss with you." I shake my head and begin turning the opposite way.

"No thanks, I'm good. I don't believe I have much to say to you. Besides, homeroom is about to start." He scoffs at my response before continuing.

"Please, you expect me to believe you care about attendance after all the days you've missed? Besides, I believe you'll want to hear me out. Any new information about this Holy Grail War is of use to you, right?" I stop dead in my tracks at his mentioning of the war. I turn back to look at him with a harsh glare, to which he responds by smiling and walking away. I begrudgingly follow him.

I find myself on the roof with Shinji, looking down through the fence at the courtyard, empty save for a few students. He hasn't said anything since we've arrived, and I begin growing impatient as he remains silent. I open my mouth to demand him to get on with it, but he speaks up before I utter a word.

"I was surprised to find out you have a servant, Emiya. You must be like me, having barely enough magic or skill to qualify as a mage." I raise my brow at him in confusion. _He thinks I'm a master?_ I decide not to correct him, believing it's to my advantage to play along with the idea for now.

"If you know I'm a master, and if you know about the Holy Grail War, I suppose that makes you a master, too?" He nods. I grit my teeth and feel myself beginning to get angry. "Don't tell me… you're the master of Rider?" He turns his attention to me and appears surprised at my answer.

"Oh, so you've figured it out? I applaud you. Yes, I'm Rider's master. How did you know?"

"It wasn't very hard to piece together once you told me you were a master. During my first encounter with your servant, she mentioned that her master was male and that he hated me. You fit the bill pretty well." He chuckles.

"Well, that saves me a good bit of explaining then. I'll get straight to the point; I want to join with you in an alliance." I stare at him blankly for a moment, not sure I heard him correctly.

"Are you kidding me? _You_ want to join an alliance with _me_? Why in the world would I ever do that?"

"There's no need to be so overdramatic, Emiya. I know we have our differences, but you and I are weak mages, weak masters. If we want to win this thing, we have to band together. Besides, it isn't as if you're opposed to the idea of an alliance. Rider told me you have two servants residing with you at your home, meaning you must've already allied with another master." _Wow, he almost has a point._ However, Shinji got several things wrong. I'm not a mage, I'm not a master, I don't want to win this "thing", and it was never my idea to form an alliance with Satan.

"Shinji, are you possibly forgetting that you literally sent your servant out to murder me?" He averts his gaze nervously when I ask him this.

"Can you blame me, Emiya? You assaulted me and I-" I interrupt him while instinctually clenching my fist.

"Do you really want to open that can of worms?"

"Ok, ok." He responds in irritation. "I know at your core you're a reasonable person, Emiya. All I ask is if you can let the past be water under the bridge and allow me to join in your alliance. At the very least, just until the rest of the servants have been defeated." _I'd sooner pull off my fingernails than work with you._

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Shinji. Even if I wanted to ally with you… let's just say, there's no way my partner would allow that." _Yeah. The only person who might dislike Shinji more than me is Tohsaka._ He clearly looks upset at my refusal of his offer. "Wait. While we're on the subject, if you're a mage, does that mean Sakura is too?"

"What? No. Only one child can be trained and learn about magecraft, you know that." _Is that right?_

"Oh. Yeah. Right." He appears to be suspicious of my response.

"Ugh, whatever." He spits out, apparently still pissed off at my rejection. "If you won't work with me, there's no helping it. However, I have one more question for you." I nod impatiently, wanting to wrap this up as soon as possible. "What exactly did you do to Rider? Why is she refusing to fight you?" I'm slightly taken aback. _I didn't expect him to ask that._

"Um, I'm not exactly sure what you mean."

"Don't you? First, she comes back from me sending her out to kill you with a hole through her head and barely able to stand up. Then, she later suddenly tells me she won't partake in any conflict with you again." I don't respond. "Mind you, I'm not saying that I'm planning on an attempt to hurt or kill you again. However, this will be a real problem for me later on, especially if you decide to set your sights on me with your servant. I'll have no way to defend myself."

"Look, I have no clue why she'd refuse to harm me. However, I won't complain if it means it'll keep you out of my hair from now on." He grits his teeth at my response.

"I feel like you're withholding information from me." _Huh, more than you realize, buddy._ "At the very least," he continues "if you won't agree to an alliance with me, can you settle on a ceasefire? It's hardly fair if you can attack me and I can't defend myself." I rub my temple in annoyance.

"*sigh* Again, I have no reason to negotiate with you on anything, but sure. Why not. I promise I won't attack you or your servant." _But Irisviel, Saber, Tohsaka, and Archer can sure as hell knock themselves out._

"Ah, perfect! Thank you-"

"Wait." I state, interrupting him. "There's one stipulation. You also have to continue refraining from doing anything unsavory to Sakura." He scoffs at my demand.

"Oh, give it a rest, Emiya. You seriously think I'll do anything again after this?" He asks while pointing to his bandaged nose.

"I never know with you, Shinji." _He's like a dog that keeps chewing up furniture no matter how many times you squirt them with the spray bottle._ After having this thought, I hear the dinging of a bell over the school speakers, signifying the end of homeroom. Shinji begins walking towards the doors upon hearing the bell.

"Regardless, you have my word on me not making any moves against you or raising a hand to Sakura. You better keep your end of the deal, too." He says all this before opening the door and descending down the stairwell. I groan in relief while turning back towards the fence overlooking the courtyard below.

 _It may have been a boring task, but I suppose I still learned a good bit by talking to him._ Between my talks with Shinji and Issei, I gathered plenty, more than I bargained for, information today. _I suppose my trip to school was a success, then._

I decide there's no reason to stick around school any longer, especially since I still have to train with Saber. I begin walking towards the doors while pulling out my phone, sending a message to Sakura letting her know I'm returning home early. After debating for a moment, I also send her a text wishing her good luck at archery practice, before entering the stairwell.

* * *

The trip home was quick and quiet. Considering everyone is at school or work during this time, there were no passerbys or traffic on my way back. I manage to make it home in no time thanks to this.

All of the lights except for the ones in the dining room are out. This fact, accompanied by the light snoring emanating from my room, courtesy of Tohsaka, tells me everyone must still be asleep. I decide I better hurry and use this chance to go train with Saber, before everyone gets up and active again.

I arrive at the large wooden door to the dojo. I raise my hand to the handle. Upon entering my field of vision, my outstretched hand freezes midair. _…what?_ I'm filled with shock as I stare at my hand. Within the grip of my clenched fingers is an object I hadn't realized I'd been holding until I tried to open the dojo's door. _My arrow._

I don't remember grabbing this from the dining room. I don't even remember entering the dining room. _Did I seriously pick this up without realizing it? It wouldn't necessarily surprise me, considering it's second nature by now for me to have the arrow with me, but…_ I tuck the arrow away in my pants, deciding not to dwell on the how or why, lest I begin getting paranoid. _So much for not keeping it on me today._

Saber is waiting for me within the dojo but, surprisingly, she isn't stoically kneeling in the center of the room, meditating, as per usual. Instead, she's reading a book while sitting at a small table, a new addition to the barren dojo.

"Oh, Shirou." She calls to me upon noticing my presence. She places the book down and stands up from the table before making her way across the dojo to me.

"Nice table." I comment as she arrives.

"O-Oh, yes. I hope you don't mind. I found it in the attic when I was gathering some books to read." I walk to the rack holding the shinai as she explains.

"You knew we had books in the attic?" I ask while bending down to pick up the bow I left here. She nods.

"I asked Irisviel if there was anything I could do to occupy my time with while she's resting. After rejecting her suggestions of reading her manga and watching the television, she told me that there are a lot of old books in the attic that have been there since before you both moved in. There are quite a fascinating few among them." I'm honestly surprised the heroic spirit enjoys reading. _This whole time I assumed all she liked was chivalry and fighting._ In the end, she _is_ still a girl, I suppose.

The lesson was much tamer and more mundane today compared to the other ones. It's refreshing to have a teacher that promotes using a bow efficiently, as opposed to Miss Fujimura who just wants me to hit a bullseye every time. Saber also seems to be opening up to me more. Instead of always looking stern and serious, I've even seen her smile a few times as we've trained today. _Strange… I feel closer to her since the last time we've talked._ Without being sure as to exactly how, I now understand her more.

"So, Saber," I begin while wiping the sweat from my brow "did you and Irisviel do whatever you set out to do last night? Defeat Berserker or whatever?" She shakes her head.

"Did it appear that way when you saw Irisviel this morning?" I recall how she looked before I wrapped her in a hug. _True, she did seem disappointed._ "We covered a good bit of Fuyuki last night. It's hard to believe we didn't run into Berserker. Given that class's disposition, I would've thought it to be difficult to _not_ run into him. It's almost as if they made a point not to be found. Like they were hiding." That's an interesting theory.

"Why's that?"

"I'm not sure." She responds while appearing lost in thought. "Again, it's just what I'm assuming. It could be possible the master and servant were just attending to business elsewhere from where we searched." I begin pondering the possibility as well. _That child… why is she suddenly playing hide-and-seek?_

"I suppose this means you and Irisviel will be going out again tonight?" Saber nods.

"Yes. My master told me so before she went to rest." I frown slightly at Saber's confirmation.

"Could I... possibly come with you two?" Saber shakes her head.

"I believe Irisviel already answered that question for you."

"But!" I instantly retort, not sure exactly what to say. "Saber I… I have to be there, you know? If something were to happen… Even if me being there changes nothing, even if I'm too weak to do anything, I wouldn't be able to go on living knowing I wasn't there for her." Saber offers a smile at my reasoning.

"Well…" She begins. "It isn't as though we can force you to stay here and not come. If, for example, you were to follow us without our knowing and jump in to help if something transpired, it'd just be out of our hands." I crack a wide smile at Saber once I realize what she's hinting at. I grab her hand and shake it enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Saber. I owe you for this." She skews her brow and offers me a confused look.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just saying if you were to follow us, _and make sure to not be discovered by Irisviel_ , there'd be no helping it." I begin walking to the exit while stifling a laugh at her wink-wink nudge-nudge command.

"Yeah, I guess there wouldn't. Until next time, teach." I offer her a small salute as I exit the room.

As I enter the hall leading to the dining room, I hear a door further down the hall slide open. I look to see Tohsaka emerge from my room, looking fully awake and dressed.

"And so, the dragon emerges from its cave." I call out to her. She gives me an angry, yet tired stare before approaching me.

"Wouldn't a better analogy be Sleeping Beauty waking up?" She asks.

"I don't like telling lies." She half-forcefully elbows me in the side after hearing my remark as she passes. I follow her to the front door where she begins putting on her shoes.

"Leaving?" I ask. She nods in response. "I suppose you're out to hunt Caster again?" She nods once more. "Before you go, I learned a good bit today that I think you might want me to relay to you."

"Learned a good bit?" She repeats. "What do you mean?"

I explain that I went to school today to follow up on a few things that were bothering me. I tell her that there _was_ cause for suspicion on that woman I saw last night; she and, surprisingly, Mr. Kuzuki became engaged and took up residence at Ryuudou Temple right around when the Grail War began. Given this, she was probably the master of the Assassin servant we fought there. However, there may be more to it, considering I've yet to discover how Mr. Kuzuki is involved with her.

I further explain that, not only did I discover Shinji is a master, but he's also the mystery master of Rider. He's under the misconception that I'm the master of Saber and he knows that I'm allied with another master and servant, though it appears he doesn't know it's Tohsaka. He negotiated a ceasefire with me, but that doesn't include the two servants or Tohsaka and Irisviel. _Unbeknownst to him._

Tohsaka blinks a few times after my lengthy explanation. She averts her gaze and begins twiddling with her fingers nervously. _Is it just me, or does she look a bit uncomfortable? No, it'd be more accurate to say she looks ashamed._

"Emiya, I…" She begins, hesitantly. "I feel like… I owe you an apology." This time it's my turn to blink several times in confusion.

"Huh?"

"It's been on my mind, recently. I realized you've actually been helping quite a bite throughout this whole ordeal. You've unveiled most of the masters and servants, all by yourself. Even though you don't have a servant, you've still fought against them alone."

"Hey, come on now. It's not like I wanted to."

"Sh-Shut up! Let me finish." I shut my mouth at her command. "And, if it wasn't for you, Archer and I wouldn't have been able to secure the first kill last night." _You're giving me too much credit. All I did was stumble upon him; Archer is the one who did all the work._ "I guess what I'm trying to say is, when we first formed this alliance, I thought you were just going to be useless, a hindrance even. However, …you've proven you can be of use. Even if you are weak and stupid." _That last part wasn't necessary, but still._

"Am I hearing right?" I ask sarcastically. "Is the great Tohsaka actually commending me?" A blush paves its way across her cheeks, and I swear I hear what sounds like a growl come from her.

"Ugh, whatever! I should've just kept my mouth shut." She states while standing to her feet and opening the door. "Don't let it go to your head! All I'm trying to say is that you've proven instead of being 0% help you're about 10%- no, 5% helpful!" With that, she walks out and slings the door shut. _Refreshing to see she's still the same._

After putting on dinner, I find myself with nothing to do. I debate for a while on what to occupy my time with, eventually deciding to go out to the shed and make sure the bow Archer made is there, ready to go.

The shed door opens with a quiet creak, as usual. I find the bow inside right where I left it, on my woodworking bench. _It'd be a good idea to bring it with me tonight. I'm not hoping Irisviel finds that little girl, but if she does, I can only hope to do something if I have it with me._ Even then, I don't know. I recall how my normal arrows merely deflected off of Rider's body, as if they were made of plastic. _But if push comes to shove…_ I unsheathe the arrow from my pants. _This should be able to do something, right?_

A warmth spreads across my abdomen. The sound of footsteps, paired with the familiar nagging feeling in the back of my head, tells me Archer has entered the shed.

"Archer?" I ask while turning to face him. "What are you still doing here? Your master left a while ago." He shrugs his shoulders. The aloof action, however, betrays his overall visage. He seems oddly serious.

"I wanted to have a word with you before I left. I've been waiting for a chance to catch you alone." I stare at him in confusion.

"How did you know I was going to come out to the shed?"

"I had a feeling you would. After watching you these past days, you seem more likely than not to come out to this shed at least once a day. Usually in the evening." I feel unnerved at the servant once again revealing to me just how often he watches me.

"Very perceptive." I respond, not knowing what else to say. After a short pause, Archer continues.

"So, you're going to follow Irisviel when she searches for Berserker tonight?"

"You heard that?" He nods.

"A word of caution; don't get in over your head. You may have pulled off a miracle the first time you faced him, but I highly doubt you can even scratch that monster Berserker." I scoff at his warning.

"It's nice to see you're so concerned about me. However, I'll do whatever's required of me if the need arises." _Yes. Whatever it takes._

Archer doesn't appear pleased with my response. He furrows his brow and gives me a critical look for a moment, but it quickly disappears. He turns away from me and looks out the doorway of the shed, at the setting sun over the horizon.

"Tell me, Shirou Emiya." He suddenly begins. "Why is it that you fight in this war? Tohsaka desires the grail, Irisviel is suspicious about the overseer of this war, Saber has her own wish... What of you?"

"…stop doing that." I mutter under my breath.

"Stop doing what?"

"Every time you talk to me, you consistently address me by full name, Shirou Emiya. Just pick one or the other. Shirou or Emiya. Or even just call me 'you'."

"Hm…" He lightly hums, continuing to stare out at the sunset. I grow slightly annoyed that he's averting his eyes while talking to me. "Sorry, but I'm going to refuse your demand."

"Excuse me?" I ask, feeling my own temper shortening. "What do you mean you refuse?"

"Well, in so many words, I feel the necessity to do so."

"Why?"

"Because. Someone has to remind you who you are."

His words irritate me. His words infuriate me. I can't fathom why they fill me with such anger, but they do. _What exactly does he think he knows about me?_ I swallow my anger. I swallow my pride.

"Whatever, do as you please." I pull my own gaze away from him, deciding to mimic him if he feels no necessity in looking at me while we talk. "As for why I fight in this war, I'm surprised you feel the need to ask such an idiotic question. I've made my motivation clear from the beginning. I'm fighting because that's what Irisiviel chose to do. I just want to stand by her, keep her safe, and see her through the end of this moronic fairy tale."

"Yes," Archer begins "I figured as much. I've just been wondering lately if your reasons are a bit more convoluted than that. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something else compelling you, isn't there?" _Something else…?_

"What? I assure you, my goal in this goes no further than doing whatever I can to help Irisviel."

"Just Irisviel? What of the bystanders in this town who may end up caught in the fray?"

"That would be regrettable, but it's not my job to protect everyone who walks the face of the planet." I retort sarcastically. A long pause ensues after I say this. Finally, Archer responds.

"Just to clarify… You have no desire to be a hero?" _Huh? What in the hell kind of a question is that?_

"No. Not in the slightest." I state with little thought before picking up the bow and running my finger along the string. I wait in the awkward silence to hear Archer's response, but he says nothing. I finally glance at him just to see the shed doorway empty. He'd already left.


	18. Chapter 18

Rin scrambles to and fro in her room; scratching down notes of what Shirou Emiya told her and adjusting her spreadsheet of the servants and masters. I sigh at her spastic toiling. _She may sleep and slack off a lot, but when she gets down_ _to work, she goes all out._ I place the platter of tea and cookies I just finished preparing down on the coffee table, in the center of the room.

"Rin." The first time I call out to her, she doesn't seem to hear me. "Rin, the tea is ready." This time, she pauses her writing and turns to look at me.

"Huh? Oh, good. I'll come drink some in just a sec." I frown at her response while taking a seat on the couch, debating whether I should encourage her to just take a break now. "It's crazy..." She suddenly continues. "He's been all over the place; fighting and unveiling these servants. Meanwhile, I can't even manage to find out who this Caster is... Have you ever met anyone like him, Archer?"

I listen to her prattle on while staring at the floral-printed plate with the matching cup and teapot on top of it. The steaming, dark-orange liquid has a faint reflection of myself in it.

"No. I've never encountered someone quite like him." She nods absentmindedly at my response.

 _Shirou Emiya._ There are so many oddities about him. And at the center of it all, the arrow. I reflect upon the one time I held it, that night at the school, after he survived the encounter with Berserker. Holding it, looking upon it; it sent a splitting headache down my skull. The object perturbs me to no end.

I sigh deeply. _Rin later informed me he told them it_ _was given_ _to him. Such a thing, though- it wouldn't be given, not by a random passerby_.

It doesn't sit well with me knowing that he's going to ghost after Irisviel and Saber tonight. _If they happen upon Berserker, there's no_ _doubt he'll jump_ _in to fight with them._ That worries me.

Rin snaps me from my thoughts when she takes a seat on the opposite end of the couch, rubbing her tired eyes. After a small yawn, she reaches down and takes her cup of tea and two sugar cubes. I continue thinking as she drops them in and stirs the brew.

"Rin..." I begin, hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"If you're just planning on staying in again tonight, studying Caster's actions, why don't we join the others in seeking Berserker instead? He seems like the biggest threat we've yet to encounter, so it'd be for the best if we worked together to take him down as soon and efficiently as possible." It doesn't take her long to respond by shaking her head.

"Irisviel made it clear to me that she had to take care of this by herself." She explains. "Trust me, if it were up to me, I'd prefer to cooperate on all our endeavors. However, I can't deny that I'd also rest a lot easier if and when I identify this Caster and stop their plans once and for all. Besides, this isn't Irisviel's first rodeo. I'm sure she has enough experience to know how cautious to be with Berserker and his master."

 _That's my master for you. If needed, she can explain things in a level-headed way that can reassure even me. However..._ I still can't shake this unsure feeling. Because... Shirou Emiya will be throwing his hat into the mix, as well. If there's one thing I know, it's that when you put two people out on a battlefield together, who worry that much for each other, it only complicates things. One of them will always end up hurt.

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I wait patiently in the quiet shed. The large door is open enough to reveal a small crack, just wide enough for me to peek out of. I'm biding my time until Irisviel and Saber head out for tonight. _My plan should be seamless. I set the table with Saber and Irisviel's dinner, excusing myself and saying I wouldn't be joining them; that I wasn't hungry and had to dedicate my time to restringing my bow before heading to bed._

Irisviel seemed to believe my excuse well enough. She gave me a hug and told me that she and Saber would be sure to be back home when I wake up. _I almost feel bad for giving her the runaround like this._ However, I feel in my heart that this is the right choice.

I find myself growing ever-more impatient and worried as time passes and they still haven't left the house. _Did they decide not to go, after all?_ Not long after thinking this, I see, through the dining room window, the light flicker off. Only a moment later, and I hear the front door slide open. _Alright… show time._

I quickly pull on and fasten my worn, leather sash across my torso. There are straps on the back of it to holster my bow and secure a quiver onto, which I rush to do once I have it on. I double-check to make sure everything is secure and intact, ending with a hesitant reach into the usual spot my lucky arrow rests, the front of my pants. _It's there._ No surprise. I inhale deeply and slowly open the shed door. _If an officer happens to see me all dressed up like this, there's no doubt I'll end up at the police station._

I gasp slightly upon stepping out into the night air. _It's chillier than I expected._ After taking a quick look around the backyard, I begin slowly creeping up to and around the side of the house, across the dew dappled grass.

Once I arrive at the corner of the house, I peek around to ensure the two aren't in the front yard. I see no sign of them, so I continue towards the front gate. I stop at the front door and tug on it to ensure Irisviel made sure to lock it, which she did, before making my exit.

The immediate stretch of the street in front of our house is barren, nothing other than the streetlamps present. I gaze down the left and right, worried I may have already lost the pair. I'm relieved to see the two familiar figures several blocks down the right.

I begin slowly approaching them, darting my gaze all around to see any potential cover for me to crouch behind while following them. I decide my best bet would probably the rooftops of the neighboring houses. _Just like how Rider did when she was after me. The only question is, how do I get up there?_

I realize I'd better hurry once Irisviel and Saber cease talking and continue walking onwards. I scuttle up to the first house, eyeing a windowsill about 12 feet off the ground. Without thinking, I kick off the sidewalk, place a foot on the wall of the building, and push off before grabbing onto the bottom wooden pane of the window. I swiftly yank myself up and balance myself on the wooden ledge's sparse space with my tiptoes, using my free hands to reach up to the stone-tiled edge of the roof and finish pulling myself up.

 _Whew. Didn't know I could do that._ I deprive myself of a break and rise back to my feet before looking down the street to see if they noticed my little bit of parkour. Irisviel seems none the wiser, continuing to tread forward with her back to me. Saber, however, has her head turned and a single eye fixated back on me. Without knowing how to respond, I simply wave at her. Her gaze turns harsher, but she gives me a knowing look before nodding and turning her attention back forward with Irisviel. I follow in her serious lead and begin stepping lightly across the stone roof, after them.

The duo spends a good bit of time searching throughout our district. I continue stalking them from the rooftops, seeing as it's my best cover available. It remains a simple task, for the most part, but there are a few times I struggle getting to a neighboring roof that's further from my current footing than the rest. It's also a bit more difficult keeping track of them when they enter into a network of alleyways or when they go through a building.

Eventually, we end up at the Fuyuki Bridge. I begin panicking when I see Irisviel move to the entrance to the bridge's side walkway. _This isn't good. If they decide to cross the bridge, the only way I'll be able to follow them is if I walk right behind them on the path._ Saber seems to notice this, as she's currently giving me a sideways glance with inquisitive eyes, seeming to ask what my next move will be. _I could maybe hail a cab to get me across instead._ However, this is only assuming there are any closeby and running tonight. Not only that, but there's no guarantee I'll be able to find the pair once I get across. Seeing as they've already begun walking across, I decide to just take the risk and follow on the path after them.

I make sure to keep as much distance away from them as I can, while also making sure to keep them in my sights. _Oh god, I feel so nervous. There's no one else on the walkway besides us three, so it's not like I can just walk close behind someone else to avoid being seen by them. And if Irisviel spots me, even from this distance, she'll know it's me. It'd be hard_ not _to with the bow and arrows attached to my back._ I continue cautiously following them, feeling my heart jump in my chest whenever Irisviel stops to look out at the river or passing-by traffic.

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Irisviel continues treading forward, never seeming to have her focus or seriousness falter. Occasionally, she'll ask me if I feel another servant's presence or stop to look at something she thought was moving across the street or in the waters below. With how overly cautious she's being tonight, I continue worrying immensely for Shirou.

 _I'll admit, he's been keeping himself out of sight quite well tonight, however…_ I glance back again to see his figure following dutifully after us, further down the sidewalk. _With how paranoid Irisviel's being, you'd better hope she doesn't decide to look behind her back, Shirou._

We continue walking in silence, the only noise being the occasional vehicle passing by. We're over halfway across the bridge, about three quarters of the way to the other side. Surprisingly, Irisviel seems to have calmed down and is no longer snapping to look at every slight noise or movement. _You just might make it, Shirou._ Suddenly, Irisviel stops walking.

"Saber…" She states, quietly. "Do you feel anything?" I pause for a moment, surprised by her suddenly stopping in her tracks.

"No, why?" I answer.

"That's strange…" She begins. "Don't be alarmed, but I think someone might be following us." _Oh no._ I very subtly move my head to look back at Shirou, before tucking my arm behind me and making rapid, waving hand gestures at him, trying to signal that Irisviel is suspicious. "I thought I've felt it for a while now, even back in our neighborhood. Eyes on me. A figure ducking behind a chimney or wall when I look. So, I dropped a magic pressure thread behind me a few minutes ago. Something just stepped on it, setting it off." I look down to her right hand and, sure enough, an almost translucent thread is being led by her fingers.

"Are you sure, Irisviel?" I ask, trying to sound genuine. She nods.

I hasten my hand movements, trying whatever quick, spastic motion I can to let him know he's about to be caught. Shirou places his hands on either side of his head, jerking left to right in a vain attempt to find someplace to hide. Irisviel adjusts her right foot, telling me she's about to spin around and confront the stalker. I see Shirou run to the side rail and look over the edge, down to the water below. As Irisviel moves to turn around, I face forward, not wanting to see his face when he gets discovered.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Irisviel loudly shouts into the open night sky. I wait nervously for her to realize just who the mystery stalker is. A few moments pass by in silence. Suddenly, I hear Irisviel let out a long sigh of relief. I look at her in confusion.

"Huh?" I mumble, confused. She's smiling.

"Ah? Oh, it must've just been my imagination Saber. There's no one back there." I quickly turn around as well to face the same way. _Huh?_ Shirou is nowhere to be seen. "Or maybe it was a seagull or something that stepped on it? Hmm?" Irisviel absentmindedly continues as I rush to the side rail in a panic to look down at the river below.

Other than the normal current, I see no ripples or bubbles to indicate something fell in. After staring for a few moments, nothing surfaces. _Sh-Shirou?! Where did you-_ Irisviel walks up besides me and looks over as well.

"Huh? Saber, what are you doing? I said I thought someone was behind us, not down in the river." I look at her with a start, not sure what to say. _Should I tell her that her son has been following us up till now only to vanish into thin air? Would she even believe me?_ "Come on, Saber, let's go. We still have a lot of ground to cover, so let's hurry." She cheerfully states before twirling away and skipping down the sidewalk, unaware of the Houdini act her son just pulled. I look around the bridge and down to the water below one last time, only to see no sign of Shirou. _Shirou… Wherever you are, please be safe._

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"AGHHH! DAMMIT!" I shout in fear while dangling from the underside of the bridge, clinging to an iron rail for dear life.

Without thinking, when I'd realized Saber was trying to tell me Irisviel was onto me, I dropped from the side of the bridge and caught onto one of the many, diagonal rails that line the underside. _Now that I think about it, it would've probably been better to just let myself get caught at that point._

Surprisingly, my arms aren't struggling to keep me hanging from the support, though I don't know how long that will last. I look around and begin weighing my options on what to do. _I can either try to climb back up to the walkway… or fall down into the river and swim across._ I look down at the dark water, debating the possibility. For whatever reason, I feel a very, _very_ disturbed feeling when I look at the body of water, so I decide against that choice.

The rail further ahead catches my eye. _Could I maybe… swing from rail to rail and get across that way?_ I almost immediately shoot down the idea, knowing the distance between the rails is too far for such a task. Even if I could make the jump, there's no way my arms would hold out long enough to make it across all the remaining ones. _But…_ I look up at the side of the bridge. _The likeliness of me climbing back onto the walkway is just as low. There's no holding for me to grab onto to make my way up._

I sigh. Without letting myself ponder the idea anymore, I begin swinging back and forth from the rail I'm hanging on, to gain momentum. _Even if I miss, my only other option is to swim across the river, so it'll be a one-way ticket down, I suppose._

I begin pumping myself up as I swing. _You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it!_ Without realizing it, I swung forward and released my grip from the rail.

The air rushes past me and my arms flail as I propel forward. As the next rail approaches, I instinctually flatten out and stick my legs back, my arms forward. My hands reach the metallic rim of the red, iron brace. As soon as it's in my grip, I immediately clamp on. In one movement, I kick and swing my legs forward, flying from this rail and to the next one.

 _Ah…! How am I doing this?!_ No- wait, don't think. Just keep going. Just. Go.

It's as if I'm playing a video game. I grapple and fling from bar to bar. It's all in a haze, it's all surreal. I try not to think about it, knowing if I do, I'd lose the ability to keep going.

 _It's just like I'm a kid at the playground. It's just like playing on the monkey bars._ As I continue, with only a couple rails remaining, I find myself growing exhilarated and, surprisingly, angry. I huff and grunt as I vault off the last rail. The bridge's large, cross-brace girder protruding from the ground below approaches as I fly through the air.

"Rggh!" I groan as I catch onto the side of the supporting beam. My feet join my hands in hugging the metal, before I let my grip loosen just enough to where I can start sliding down. I keep my eyes on the ground below and, once I'm a safe distance from it, I release my hold and fall down to my feet.

"Y… Yeah!" I shout, raising my fists in the air. _What a rush! I didn't think I'd make it at all!_ I feel a wide grin break its way across my face as I try to steady my rapid breathing. _I really am on top of my game today. I'm in peak shape!_

I feel another victory shout coming on, but as I raise my fists back in the air, something further away, by the street, catches my eye. It's Saber, staring down at me. Her face is stroked across in disbelief. _Huh? Saber?... I wonder how much of that she saw just now._

"Saber?" I hear a voice, Irisviel's, call out from further down the street. _Crap!_ "What are you doing? Hurry up!" I maneuver around the large support beam and duck down just as Irisviel runs into view along the street.

"Right, apologies master." Saber states, pulling her attention from me and giving Irisviel a slight bow of apology. "Shall we?"

With that, the two continue onwards down the street, leaving me behind. I sigh deeply and wipe the sweat from my brow, relieved I didn't get found by Irisviel after all that work. After waiting a moment, I emerge from my hiding and begin walking up to the street so I can continue following them. As I walk, I glance back one last time at the bridge. I stare at the support railings lining the bottom of the massive structure. _I can't believe it… the distance between each of them; did I really just consecutively leap across all of that?_

I continue following after them well into the night. After everything I've been through, I've more than gotten the hang of the whole stalking thing. There are even several times I'm pretty sure Saber can't tell where I'm hidden as they continue their search. Hours pass and they've yet to run into anything or anyone. _Is this really how a night of searching unfoils for them? No wonder Irisviel looked so drained when she got home yesterday morning…_

I'm currently perched in a tree, watching as Saber and Irisviel discuss something inaudible to me. We've found ourselves far, far away from Fuyuki Bridge, on the outskirts of the urban city. The duo stands in a street that leads up to, what I assume is, the overseer's church, only a few blocks away. _At this point, they've just about covered every inch of the Shinto district. So, unless the little girl is squatting inside the church, I don't think they're over here._ It's going to be really frustrating if, in the end, they turned out to be in the district on the other side of the bridge, where we came from, this entire time.

Suddenly, Saber perks up and jerks her head to look at the other side of the street. She shouts something, though I still can't hear it, and points where she's looking. Irisviel looks as well, and I quickly follow in suit. Across the street, there's a barren stretch of land. Barren, except for the tombstones that dot the surface of it. _A graveyard…? Makes sense there would be one, considering there's a church right there, but why is Saber calling it out?_

I turn my gaze back to Saber to see her and Irisviel have begun rushing across the paved road. As my gaze falls upon her, she briefly exchanges a glance with me, her eyes dead serious, before a light flashes around her and disappears, unveiling her now clad in armor and wielding the wind-swathed sword. _…Is this it?_

Once the two have crossed and entered the graveyard, I fall from the tree and onto the sidewalk. I run to the outskirts of the cemetery and traverse along the wooded edge, keeping the pair in my sights. As we progress further across the quiet field, I feel myself growing anxious, and a sense of dread begins bubbling up inside of me.

Eventually, Irisviel and Saber stop, having almost reached the forest at the far end of the expansive area. I stop as well, and watch them from behind a tree trunk, waiting to see what they do. The pair only look around, whisper to each other, and slowly pace until they press against each other's back, covering their blind spots. On an impulse, I reach up and grapple onto the lowest hanging branch before pulling myself up.

I climb up the tree until I arrive at the highest branch that is still sturdy enough to support my weight. I quickly situate myself and unlatch my bow, preparing for whatever happens next. I reach for a normal arrow but hesitate. _If it wouldn't work on Rider… there's no way it'd do something to Berserker._ I retract my hand and reach down to the hem of my pants. My fingers find the familiar wooden shaft immediately, and I quickly unsheathe it. Instead of knocking and readying the arrow, I wait. _What happens next?_

"You! Mage!" Saber suddenly shouts, quite loudly. "Reveal yourself! We know fully well you're here!" _A mage?_ I rapidly look around, trying to find where the individual might be hiding. I can't sense the presence of magic like Saber, obviously, so I'm looking blindly.

"There." My attention snaps back to the pair when Irisviel utters this word. She's pointing to a spot on the forest line, opposite of me. Suddenly, a clapping noise. From the spot Irisviel pointed out, there's a clapping noise. I squint my eyes to try and find the source, but I see nothing.

As I stare, I notice what seems to be a ripple across the line of trees. Before my eyes, the trees and shrubbery I'd been staring at quivers and melts before dissipating, revealing a clear space with an individual standing in the middle. The individual walks forward, out of the vanishing illusion, while clapping. It doesn't take me long at all to realize who this person is. _The little girl…_

"Is this the part where I say, 'good job'?" The child asks sarcastically, an unmistakable hint of malice in her voice. She stops clapping after saying this. "Well, good job. It only took two nights, and you found me."

I slowly lift the arrow and press the ridge at the hilt against the bowstring. Slowly, scared I might somehow be discovered if I moved too suddenly. There's a drawn-out silence. Neither Saber nor Irisviel say anything in response to the child. Saber, because she's looking around observantly, occasionally exchanging eye contact with me. Irisviel, because she seems to just be in shock, if her expression is any indicator.

"Illyasviel…" Irisviel finally mumbles, almost silent from where I'm positioned.

"Irisviel." Illyasviel parrots back, mockingly. _Illyasviel… So, that's your name._

After a few more moments in awkward- no, deadly silence, Illyasviel takes another step forward, towards the pair. Upon doing so, Saber rushes forward and in front of Irisviel, lifting her blade up at the child threateningly. The child seems unfazed by the action.

"Saber, w-wait." Irisviel orders, meekly. "We should just try to talk for now." The dreadful sensation, the one I'd been feeling lingering in my gut this entire time, suddenly explodes throughout my body, sending chills up my back and shocking all my hair to stand on end. I feel murderous intent in the air. I look closer at the child and see that her expression changed upon hearing Irisviel's suggestion. It's quite similar to the livid expression she bore when _I_ pissed her off.

"Talk?" Illyasviel repeats. "Ten years, and only _now_ you want to talk?" She compliments her question immediately after with a sharp cackle. "Hahaha, no, no. The time for talking is long gone. Any words I've ever had for you, I've long since forgotten." I begin drawing my bowstring back, feeling as though the breaking point is about to be reached. _It's only a matter of time before she sends Berserker out at them. …_

…

…

… _Berserker._

"Illya, please!" Irisviel begs, her voice filled with desperation.

"Shut! Up!" Illyasviel immediately shouts back, her anger extremely apparent now. "Don't go getting a big head just because I _chose_ to show myself to you insignificants!" _…Wait._

"You 'chose' to appear before us?" Saber questions, confused. Illyasviel flips her hair, looking to have calmed down a bit.

"Of course, I did. If I desired, I could stay off you fools' radar for the entire war. But, after watching you all throughout tonight, I just couldn't contain my excitement anymore and decided to come out to play." _Wait._

"What…?" Irisviel asks, clearly surprised. "All night? You've been watching us all night?"

"I thought I told you to be quiet." Illyasviel doubles down. "Quit thinking you have a say in any of this. If _he_ wasn't here tonight, you wouldn't even be as lucky as you are to have this conversation right now. I would've just kept avoiding your boorish self, or just flat-out killed you. At most, you may have been graced by seeing my face for a moment before you died." _Where…?_

"What…? 'He'?" Irisviel questions, only getting more confused. "Who are you-"

"Illyasviel…" Saber interrupts Irisviel to address Illyasviel, sounding grave. _Where is-_ "Where is-" _Berserker?_ "your servant?" After a prolonged silence, Illyasviel answers by smiling playfully.

"I'll answer both of your questions." She states. "Riiiiiiiiight- now."

It's then that I finally hear it. A whirring noise, so identical to the night I first heard it. If I was asked to describe it, I would say it's the muffled sound of a chainsaw starting up and running. I turn to face the sound.

"urrrrrgghhhhRRAAAGH **AAAAAAH**!" A red blur, high in the sky, rapidly diminishes the distance between it and the graveyard. He'd been stationed further away in the forest, outside of Saber's detectable range, so that Illyasviel could get the drop on them. So that she could send him in for an aerial attack. Only, his target, Illyasviel's target, isn't the two girls. It's me.

As he enters the airspace immediately around me, I only have time to rip my lucky arrow from my bow and raise it in the air, to try and block his godly strike. His stone blade smashes into the wooden shaft of my lucky arrow. A brief red crackle courses through the interlocked weapons, before sending out a small shockwave. His face invades so closely that it almost presses against my own. His breath I can smell, hot enough that I feel as though it could it burn my face. The expression he wears, that scowl, the bared fangs, the beady, piercing eyes; it's a visage I'll never forget.

I take in the whole picture in the one, brief, intimate moment. I take it in, before I rocket away from it, the force of the shockwave and of his huge, arching strike sending me flying.

My right arm screams in pain. I can't turn and look, can't move my body, as I fly away because of how forcefully I was flung. I collide into the ground and skid across the dirt, covering my head with my left arm and tucking into a ball as soon as I can control my limbs again. _One. Two. Three._ I skid and roll across the dirt three times.

"Shirou?!" Irisviel screams, her tone of voice sounding far too dire to simply call it "worried".

As soon as I'm sure I'm no longer flopping across the ground, I jump to my feet. The rush to my head, upon standing up, catches me by surprise, and I almost fall, but manage to steady myself before doing so. Saber and Irisviel both look at me in a mixture of concern and terror. Illyasviel is looking at me in amazement, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Ahh! You were right! You weren't lying! You're so much stronger with your weapons!" Illyasviel ecstatically calls out to me. I have no time to acknowledge the absurdity of her actions. I have to account how badly I was injured.

A deep pain is radiating through my upper right side, the slightest movement causing it to pulse in agony. _A rib broke. I don't think it punctured anything._ One look at my right arm, I can tell it's broken. No telling in how many spots. I rapidly lift and clasp each of my right fingers individually around my arrow, ensuring it can still function, despite the pain. Because of the blood trickling into and tinting my left eye, and the pain and lightheadedness radiating throughout my skull, I can tell I suffered a gash throughout my collision with the ground. I glance back to see the path of trudged up dirt from the path I paved as I skid across the ground. About halfway through, there's the crumbled remains of a tombstone. _I slammed into and shattered through it as I went. It must've been there that I suffered the gash._ Even sparing just a moment of thought at just how hard he hit me terrifies me. _My left arm and both legs are fine, I can still go._

Finally, I focus my attention forward again, to the three girls. Irisviel is rushing to me and Saber is alternating looks with me and Berserker. _Even she doesn't know how to react after that._

"Shirou!" Irisviel shouts as she approaches. "I'm coming, stay still! I'll heal you, ok?!" As soon as she states this, Illyasviel's giddiness dissipates and she dons a sadistic smile and glare.

"Oh no you don't! Berserker!" She shouts up to the night sky. Irisviel and I look up to see the dark figure hanging on to the tree he knocked me from, clasping the trunk with just one hand.

"rrrRUGHHAAAAAGH!" He shrieks into the darkness, the force of his billow causing the surrounding leaves to flutter and flicker. His body quickly takes on the red hue once more, casting an ominous glow on the surrounding foliage. Midway into his shout, he kicks off the tree and rockets down towards Irisviel and I.

"Not so fast!" Saber yells, putting herself up as a wall in front of us.

Her swirling, wind blade collides into Berserker's humongous weapon. The gusty shockwave it kicks up is even greater than the one resulting from my arrow clashing with him. I can't resist the force, and I topple over from the gale.

"Sh-Shirou!" Irisviel shouts while using her arms to cover her face from the wind. "I'm coming! Please, just wait!" I weakly lift my heat and look to her. My eyes widen. Behind her, there are three white, glowing blades, appearing to be constructed from a network of strings.

"Iris- viel! Behind you!" I scream, mustering all my strength to lift myself up with my good, left arm.

She turns just as they thrust forward to stab her. However, thankfully, she somehow manages to defend herself. With a swift flick of her hand, a thin barrier forms between her and the blades, seemingly constructed of the same material as the weapons.

"Tch! Seems old age hasn't hindered you." I hear Illyasviel state. I finally manage to rise to my feet and turn to see her approaching Irisviel and I. More of the threaded blades halo her figure, and several bird-like constructions float readily in front of her. Irisviel glances back at me briefly.

"Shirou, I can't manage a moment to heal you right now. Please… please, get as far from here as you can and conserve your energy. Mommy will wrap this up quickly."

I open my mouth immediately to insist I help, but she rushes forward, kicking up dust in my face before I can. She whips her hands around gracefully, threads protruding and growing from them like tendrils and taking on the shape of weapons instantaneously. I'm surprised to see she formed giant hammer-like weapons in her hands. I'm even more surprised to see her aggressively press the offensive on the little girl, smashing her swords and birds with ease. Illyasviel clearly looks surprised, moreso pissed, at Irisviel's rush attack.

For the time being, I decide to listen to Irisviel and begin moving away from the conflict. _My bow… It fell from my grip when he hit me. Where is it?_ Somehow, I managed to keep ahold of the lucky arrow, in the arm he shattered, no less, but I wasn't so lucky with my bow. _Most of my arrows… fell from the quiver when I landed. There's only-_ *cough* _a handful left._

I pass by Saber and Berserker's conflict, from a safe distance, taking note of how advanced Berserker's combat prowess is. _Irisviel… Irisviel told me to run away from here, but I know… I know… I know Saber can't win. I felt it when Berserker and I struck each other. She can't win. Not now, not like this. I-_

"*COUGH* *BLEGH*" I profusely choke and cough as blood rushes up and out my mouth, bringing me to my knees. "*huff* *huff*… *wheeze* I guess- I guess it _did_ puncture a lung."

I see Saber offer me a quick, concerned look. _Nooo, Saber-_ This small gesture gives Berserker an opening, and he sure makes good use of it. His already apparent advantage against her only increases as he pulls out all the stops and rushes her with even quicker strikes, with even more force behind them.

I look back to Irisviel to see she still maintains the upper hand on Illyasviel, but it's still, overall, a stalemate. _No… At this rate, they'll die…_ She'll _die._ I pull my gaze from Irisviel and look towards the tree I'd been perched in. At the base of it, jabbed into the dirt, is my bow, still intact. _Do something, Shirou. You can keep going. Use some of that energy from earlier, at the bridge. Push… through this._

I grit my teeth and shake my head. In the next instant, I mimic my move from earlier, after my collision with the ground, and hop back up to my feet. Just like before, I stagger and grow lightheaded, but I power through it and take a strong stomp forward. _Yes…!_ I take my other foot and trudge forward. And again. And again. And again. Before I know it, I'm jogging towards the bow with as much speed as I can manage. Albeit, a hobbling, wobbly jog, but still, more than I thought I could possibly do right now.

When I reach it, I flop over and roll across the ground once, eliciting another cough and spatter of blood from my mouth. _Keep… going._ I lift myself up and kneel onto my knees, not believing I can manage to stand again. I quickly yank the bow from the ground and pull it close. I move my right hand to knock the lucky arrow but hesitate. I stare at it for a moment, then turn to stare at Berserker. _…not yet._ I gently set the lucky arrow down, from my broken, jittery fingers. _Don't use that arrow, not yet._

I weakly reach behind me and to the quiver on my back, pulling the remaining two arrows out. _This'll do._ I knock both of the arrows simultaneously, but I don't draw the bow just yet. I aim at Berserker, waiting till the right moment. I see Irisviel, further away, notice what I'm doing. She shakes her head at me, her eyes pleading me not to. I merely avert my gaze. _I don't like disobeying you, Irisviel. But when it comes to saving your life, I'll do… whatever it takes._

The fight between Saber and Berserker intensifies. It's clear who is on top, who will come out the victor. Berserker isn't even giving Saber enough time to think, a hindrance that doesn't ail him, as he runs purely on skill and instinct. Saber grunts and goes for an upper diagonal slash, but it's futile. Berserker scrapes his blade against hers, parrying it aside, before socking her in the chest with his free hand. It momentarily knocks the wind out of Saber, and her eyes lose focus. Berserker follows up by swatting his weapon to the side, knocking Saber's blade from her loosened grip. _It's over. Berserker wins._ The monster lets out a victory howl and readies his blade for the final strike on the disoriented, deer-eyed Saber. _…NOW!_

"BERSERKERRRR!" I shout, as loud as I can muster. It works. My voice manages to reach him, and he glances at me while hoisting back his stone sword to cleave Saber with. The braided tussle of hair affixed to my bow billows and flaps in the sudden gust of wind, catching his eye. _The last thing he'll see is the hair I yanked from his skull… Heh, poetry._

I tighten my jaw and yank my right arm back, pulling the bow to full draw. All along my battered arm, pain wracks the appendage. My fingers weaken. I release my grip on the twin arrows. With seemingly more force than ever before, the bow snaps back into shape as the two arrows jettison out. The arrows fly faster than even I anticipated, reaching Berserker, in what appeared to be, instantaneously. His eyes widen as the two arrows line up perfectly with his pointed, beady irises.

"AUGHRRRH! **ARURRRR**!" He screeches in pain, forgetting entirely about Saber and instead beginning to swing his blade in the surrounding area wildly. The halves of two wooden shafts protrude from each of his sockets.

"Berserker?!" Illyasviel calls out in alarm, turning to see the source of her servant's pained howls.

"Hya!" Irisviel yells as she conjures up two swathes of the threads in each of her hands before pouncing onto the distracted Illyasviel. Quickly and efficiently, Irisviel pins down the little girl and flicks and wafts her hands across her, encasing her in a cocoon prison of the glowing, white threads.

"D-Dammit!" Illyasviel grumbles, struggling beneath Irisviel. Irisviel responds only by pulling her hands up, threads draping from them like marionette strings, tightening the cocoon around Illyasviel. "Ugh! Nn!"

"Iris- *cough* IRISVIEL!" I struggle to call out to her, feeling my body weakening by the second. She turns to look at me and I answer by pointing to Saber. I immediately follow up by mouthing two words to her. Noble Phantasm. Her eyes light up in understanding and she nods.

"Saber! Hurry, now! While he's distracted, unleash your sword's true glory! Hold nothing back!" Saber had already regained her composure and took up her blade by the time Irisviel finished her command. Without wasting any time, Saber lifts the wind-cloaked blade into the air, a brilliant light beginning to pierce through and illuminate the surrounding graveyard.

"Of course!" She shouts in response to her master. The torrent of air begins to expand from the blade, billowing up a cloud of dust around her. At this point, Berserker has removed the arrows from his eyes, but they remain shut and injured. He's turned with his back to Saber, not even aware of what's about to happen. Illyasviel struggles to raise her head from the dirt and look to Berserker.

"N-No! Berserker, I order you to-" Without skipping a beat, Irisviel covers Illyasviel's mouth with her hand and shuts it tight.

"No, Illyasviel." Irisviel sternly commands. "That's enough, now." I continue to hear muffled protests from Illyasviel as Saber readies her final attack.

With one final, strong gust of wind, the invisible cloak of her blade dispels, revealing its true form beneath. A glimmering, golden sword that casts a magnificent glow across the entire graveyard. As if he felt the heat from the intense shining, Berserker turns to face the source of the light. I notice golden specks rise up, not just around Saber, but all across the dreary graveyard. _What in the world…_ Saber hoists the brilliant sword even higher up and behind her while exhaling in preparation to announce its true name.

"Exxx!" She shouts, the blade somehow expelling even more light than before, turning into nothing more than a golden cross within her grip. "SCALIBUR!"

She slashes straight down, vertically. As soon as the glowing blade cuts through the air in front of her, it violently expands and bursts, sending off an absurdly large beam. The beam collides into the blinded Berserker, eliciting a brief, painful shriek from him as it envelops his figure. The attack doesn't stop there, however. I watch, wonderstruck, as the fissure of energy streaks through the sky, hitting the top of the treeline and continuing into the foreseeable distance. _…Excalibur…_

The torrent of energy constricts on itself, after the strike, until it's just a lengthy pinneedle of light, before vanishing entirely. Once the brilliant glow subsides, and the sword is once again coated in its wind sheathe, Saber falls onto one knee, supporting herself with the magnificent sword. Before her, lies the smoking, charred blade of Berserker and his smoldering lower torso, nothing else. _We… We won!_

I feel a relieved, exuberant smile spread across my face as I witness the scene before me. _We did it! S-She's alive, she's ok._ I turn to see Irisviel, who looks just as happy as I do, as she stares at the weary Saber. _…Thank goodness…_

The only one who doesn't seem to be relieved is Illyasviel. She's struggling even harder than before beneath Irisviel, her eyes filled with both hate and tears. I can't even bring myself to feel sympathy for her. _No, not after she made such a heinous attempt on Irisviel's life._

After a few more moments of Illyasviel's struggling passes by, Irisviel removes her hand from Illyasviel's mouth, and the accompanying threads acting as a gag. She coughs a few times and sniffles, appearing to me as nothing more than a child having a tantrum.

Then, she does something that turns my spine cold. Illyasviel lifts her head up. And she's smiling. The same sadistic smile as before, in stark contrast with her watery eyes. _Or… are they crocodile tears?!_ I reach down with my shaky hand and grab the lucky arrow I'd set aside.

"…Tell me something, you callous fools." Illyasviel spits out at us. Her words already scare me. I try as hard as I can to fill my motionless legs with the energy to rise up. "Have you ever heard the tale… of Hercules?" _…Hercules?_ Irisviel and Saber look at her in frazzled confusion. "It's a wonderful tale- the best tale- the tale of a hero who overcame 12 impossible tasks." I see something bubbling and rising up, quietly, behind Saber. "And in doing so, gained 12 lives." The bubbling mass suddenly, instantly takes the form of a giant, skin-flayed man.

"IT'S ALIVE!" I shout, attempting to warn Saber. The horrid creature rushes forward, snatching up its still-fuming blade as it passes. Saber turns just as it arrives right behind her. _No… She's finished._

"Berserker!" Illyasviel shouts, her voice filled with impatient fury. "Get this witch off of me, NOW!" …

…

… huh…?

Berserker passes Saber, not so much as touching her, as though he lost any and all interest in her, before continuing forward, past her. Past her to what? Hm, to what? TO what? Illyasviel said to Irisviel? Go to Irisviel. Get Irisviel off her. Kill Irisviel.

The image of that monster swinging his blade clean through Irisviel flashes through my mind.

My body lifts up and onto my feet, effortlessly. I take one step forward, bounding over a distance that places me right next to Saber. I kick my other foot forward and plant it firmly on the ground, before propelling myself onwards once more. I pass by the fuming monster and exchange a harsh glare with it, before flying the rest of the way past it. When I reach my destination, I stomp both pads of my feet as hard as I can onto the ground, stopping me dead in my tracks. I lift my gaze to see Irisviel, only a breath away, giving me a look- a look filled with fear, confusion, and despair. _Aw, come on. Don't let that be the last expression you give me._

I raise my left hand and plant it onto her shoulder. Then, I push her over and away, tossing her off Illyasviel.

As soon as her body exits the space, a blade occupies the area. Berserker's sword slams into my right side, forceful enough to make my body fold over on itself. The last thing I see is Illyasviel meeting my gaze, with an expression incomprehensible to me, before I get flung away for the second, and last, time tonight. Everything blurs and fades in and out as I fly away. I just see brown and grey streaks as I soar across the tombstone-riddled ground.

*SLAM* I crash into something. My body straightens out a bit upon impact into whatever it is I hit. I try to move my head to get a look at where I am and what I struck, but I find myself unable to do so. I can still look around with my eyes, a bit, so I do so.

I lower my gaze to my crushed-in right side. My broken hand still dutifully clutches my arrow, which crackles with red energy slightly. Given the crackling energy, and the crumpled-up arm smooshed against my side, beneath the arrow, I gather I must've tried to block Berserker's attack again. Clearly, I wasn't successful. I lower my gaze to my stomach.

 _Nng!_ My vision flickers in and out from what I see. Without going too in-detail, the contents of my stomach seem to mostly exist draping outside of it now.

Considering the blood-splattered stone I lie embedded in; I assume I crashed into an above-ground tomb. How regretful, I hate to desecrate whoever's resting place this is. I finally focus my remaining attention back on the other inhabitants of the graveyard.

Because of the distance, and my vision blurring in-and-out of focus, I can't really discern what's going on. I eventually garner Irisviel is saying something, while tears stream down her face, but I can't hear what it is. I can't hear anything, aside from a steadily decreasing ringing in both my ears. Saber, Illyasviel, and even Berserker say nothing, only stare at me with blank expressions.

Eventually, Irisviel jumps to her feet and begins running towards me, stumbling and falling a few times. _No… don't… there's still an enemy, right there._ I focus my attention past her, onto Illyasviel. The threads Irisviel had wrapped around her are now dissolved and vanished, and she sits on the ground staring at me. As the corners of my vision darken and slowly envelop what I can see, Illyasviel lowers her head and averts her gaze from me. I can't hear anything, but what she says next I can hear. Whether I actually heard or just managed to read her lips, I'm not sure. But, I heard her.

"Berserker… get the other one." _Other one?_ I pull my attention forward and focus on Irisviel again.

…

Berserker rushes forward, readying his blade to the side for his next kill.

My vision clears up. The blurriness goes away, and the dark corners recede. The ringing ceases. I can hear every sob of Irisviel's, every shout of protest from Saber, every tread of Berserker as he draws closer. I lift my ragged excuse of a right arm up and exert as much force as I can to point my hand forward, clutching the arrow as tight as a vice. The scraggly arm extends forward, and I point the weapons threateningly at Berserker and his master.

"…don't…" I mutter, barely comprehensible.

Illyasviel's eyes widen and her lip quivers at my exertion. I meant it as a threat, though I have no idea how the gesture, performed with my crushed body, appeared to them. Even still, I remain still as a statue, using my scraggly arm to point my scraggly arrow at the enemies. Illyasviel rises to her feet, suddenly appearing enraged.

"Berserker… stop." She states with shaky breath. The servant complies, halting a few strides from Irisviel. "Just… go!" She yells before turning around and running off. Berserker ducks down and leaps after her, into the forest. It may have been my eyes playing tricks on me, due to me being right at death's door, but I thought I saw tears dripping from her eyes as she ran off.

Regardless, as soon as the pair disappears into the woods, my fingers go limp. The arrow falls down and clatters against the dirt. My arm loses its stiffness and hangs down from where I'm pinned, along with the rest of my body. I lose my hearing and my sight rapidly blurs and diminishes again.

The darkness envelops around the figure approaching me, crying and shouting something at me with terrified eyes. The last thing I can discern is her face. The expression still just as disappointing as before.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Within the darkness, void of my sight and hearing, unable to feel anything, I pick up on a faint scent. The smell of flowers.


	19. Chapter 19

The steady ticking of the grandfather clock across the living room- it's the only sound occupying the quiet space. I enter through the doorway to see my master peacefully snoozing, resting her head atop the desk littered with notes and pictures.

"All tuckered out, hm?" I wave my hand through the air as I say this, conjuring up a red jacket in my grip. I quietly approach before setting the coat on top of her hunched over, sleeping figure. As I walk away from the sleeping woman, I notice her face twisted in slight discomfort, telling me she must be having a bad dream. _Well, I imagine staying up all night till you crash would do that._

I tread across the room; towards the coffee table she drank tea at earlier. The dishes remain messily piled on top of each other. _I know you're busy, master, but you could at least clean this up before passing out._ I sigh before picking up the stack and walking out of the room to go wash them.

After making quick work of the dishes, I reenter the hall and make my way back to the room. As I walk, thoughts of Shirou Emiya and how his night went fill my head. _It's very late. Or, rather, it's quite early now. Daylight is on the agenda, just an hour or so away._ All night I've been staving off bad feelings and dire ideas. I don't know why I'm expecting to hear from the boy, but I should really try and reel back my paranoia regarding him.

As I step back into the living room, preparing to dematerialize until my master awakens, I hear something. An electronic jingle, coming from the desk Rin is sleeping at. _Rin's phone…?_ As I hear the irritating ringing, a dreadful feeling grows in my stomach, nurtured from all the worrying and fretting I'd been experiencing throughout the night.

I move towards the desk to grab and answer the phone, but Rin beats me to it. She sits up in her chair and quickly grabs the phone, appearing to be, surprisingly, fully awake. She sympathizes with me in that her expression already appears very serious and nervous. Even though she doesn't have the phone on speaker, I can vaguely hear a woman shouting and hyperventilating. _Oh no._

"I-Irisviel, wait." Rin hesitantly tries to calm her down. "Just slow down, I can't understand you. I-" My master stops talking, after having heard whatever Irisviel just shouted at her. Rin's eyes widen and her mouth hangs open, aghast.

After a short time passes with Rin just staring, dumbstruck, into the space in front of her, ignoring Irisviel, I hear another voice pick up on the phone. _Saber?_ I quietly walk closer and lean my head down, right next to Rin's, to hear what she's trying to say.

"Meet us back at Irisviel's home, if you can." Is all Saber states before the call hangs up.

Only a short pause longer, and Rin jolts up from the desk, shaking her head. She drops the phone dismissively on the desk and runs past me, towards the doorway. _Her eyes have gotten watery. Just what the hell happened?_ I already have a pretty good idea, but I dart towards the door, after her, just to confirm it.

"Rin?" I shout as I enter the hall and see her yanking on her shoes. "Rin, what's going on?"

"E-Emiya he-" she begins, with a weak voice "Irisviel said Emiya was just murdered." My eyes widen at what she states.

"W-What?" She doesn't respond to my awe-struck question and instead rushes out the front door, forgetting to even close it behind her.

I raise my hand and lightly smack myself on the cheek. _No, now's not the time to be shocked and distraught. Whatever the case is with Shirou Emiya, I must remain level-headed for my master._ I rush out the door after her, quickly shutting it as I do. I run down the street and, once I've reached her, scoop Rin up into my arms before sprinting forward, full speed. She gives me a surprised, confused look with her teary eyes.

"We'll get there faster this way." I answer. She nods before looking forward, seeming to have been calmed and regained more composure from my reliability. _Shirou Emiya… you better not have gotten yourself killed._

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

"Shirou's… dead!" Irisviel shouts into the phone, desperately. "The monster murdered him!"

Irisviel and I stand next to the large, concrete structure that serves as an above-ground tomb for whatever wealthy family commissioned it. Lodged into the side of it, broken and battered, is Shirou's body.

Just a few moments earlier, Irisviel began panicking and insisting we needed to call help, before dialing up Rin and Archer to scream at them. _She's not in a good state of mind; what could they even do, if they answered? We're on the other side of town. Besides…_ I reluctantly set my gaze on Shirou once more. His glassy eyes stare to the ground below, seemingly fixed on the arrow he'd lost his hold on. _…She doesn't even realize he's gone._

I can no longer bear to hear it after Irisviel mourns and cries to Rin on the phone several minutes longer, so I gently pull the device from Irisviel's grip. I lift it up to my ear.

"Hello? Rin? Archer?" No response. "Meet us back at Irisviel's home, if you can." With that, I shut the flip phone closed. Irisviel rises back to her feet from the ground and lifts her shaky hands towards Shirou's head. She cups each hand onto one of his cheeks.

"He-He's cold…" She grievously mutters. "What- *sniffle* What was he doing here?! SABER! What was he doing here?! Ahhh!" I find myself at a loss for words, not knowing where to look or what to think. _Is this… my fault? Because I let him follow us, he…_ I recall the words Illyasviel told us before Berserker attacked Shirou.

"He must've followed us, Irisviel…" I respond, shamefully. "But, if he hadn't been here- remember what Illyasviel said, she would've just killed you before we knew what hit us."

"I DON'T CARE!" Irisviel instantly shouts back. "Shirou- he's… he's." She rises onto her tiptoes and pulls his head close, hugging it against her chest. I feel my heart shattering at the display before me. _There's nothing I can do… There's nothing I_ could _do._

"H- *sniffle* huh?" Irisviel suddenly questions, her eyes lighting up in surprise. "What's that noise…?" I offer only a confused stare at her, not hearing whatever noise she's talking about. Her eyes widen. "Saber! Come here!"

I hesitantly approach until I arrive next to her, mere inches from Shirou's body. I lean closer to her, upon her beckoning. As I do, I hear the faint noise she was referring to.

"Wheezing?" I ask, in disbelief. I look closely at Shirou's face and, indeed, his mouth is moving ever so slightly as he takes ragged breaths.

"He's breathing!" Irisviel shouts. "Saber! What do we-"

I've already begun working on it, jabbing my hands into the sides of the stone structure to loosen up where Shirou's lodged into it. Once his body leans forward and pries itself from the concrete, I remove my hands and wrap my arms around him, before swiftly picking him up bridal-style.

"Irisviel, quickly." I command. "Wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist. We need to get back to the house as quickly as possible. You and Rin may be able to do something, together." She looks at me in hesitation.

"Saber, are you sure you'll be able to-"

"Just do it!" I shout, not knowing how much time Shirou has left. Irisviel doesn't argue further. Before grabbing on, she swiftly reaches down and snatches up Shirou's signature arrow from the ground.

Once she's wrapped around my back, I waste no time in leaping out of the cemetery, towards the street. Once on the street, I jump onto the nearest residence and start gliding from house to house. I make sure to keep my hand pressed against Shirou's abdomen, ensuring his entrails don't fall out as I forcefully bound across the rooftops.

Upon reaching the large, red bridge, I vault up onto the overhead arch and begin sprinting across it, keeping the utmost focus to not lose my balance. I can tell Irisviel is unnerved by the speed and heights we're reaching, as her grip tightens, and her breathing grows more rapid. _Though, it could mostly be due to her worry for Shirou._

 _Shirou…_ His eyes are closed, and his breathing is just as shallow as before. Curious, I adjust my hold on him so that my other hand can reach up and press itself against his chest. My mouth opens slightly in surprise. His heart is beating just fine. In fact, it's pounding pretty hard against his chest. _…Shirou. How are you still alive?_ I stop dwelling on it and focus on getting to the house as quickly as possible, as I finally reach the shore on the other side of the bridge.

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

…

…

…

 _Within the darkness, void of my sight and hearing, unable to feel anything, I pick up on a faint scent. The smell of flowers._

 _I can't necessarily do anything, so I don't act upon noticing on the smell. Instead, I just linger in the darkness, with nothing but my thoughts. Eventually, I see something flicker, far away from me. It flickers again after a moment, closer this time. The next time it appears, it forms as a light, even closer to me. The light grows and stretches across the dark space, towards me. Hues of pink and purple streak across the edges of the light._

 _Oh no, is this the light at the end of the tunnel? Did I… die? I wonder this as the mass of light inevitably draws closer, almost upon me. Without any way to run from it or oppose it, I let it engulf and envelop me._

 _The whiteness, containing occasional specks of violet colors, inhabits everything I can see, as I feel myself being pulled forward, somewhere. I merely let myself be taken for the ride; no other choice available to me. As time passes, the white torrent of light surrounding me somehow grows even brighter. And, as it does so, the floral scent grows even stronger._

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

Upon arriving at the house, I see Archer and Rin already at the gate, waiting. A sharp, fearful gasp escapes Rin once her eyes fall upon Shirou. Archer doesn't seem too shaken up, but even his eyes are tinted with shock. Rin rushes to meet us halfway as I approach the gate.

"What happened? Is he-"

"Not now, Rin!" I hastily interrupt her as we arrive at the gate. "We have to lie him down and try to save him." Her eyes light up in surprise at what I say as we rush through the gate, towards the door.

"He's alive?" She asks.

I don't answer her, being too preoccupied with getting Shirou to his room. I sling his door open upon arriving and hasten to set him down on his futon. I don't bother trying to save the bunched up covers and sheets, as they become soaked in blood mere moments after I lay him down.

"Alright, alright…" I mumble, my mind racing to decide what to do. I turn to Irisviel. "Can you heal him now, Irisviel? With Rin helping you maybe…" I trail off as Irisviel responds by shaking her head.

"My magecraft is already incredibly limited with healing as is. It can heal cuts, stabs, and flesh wounds of varying severities, but it's not designed to reorganize misplaced organs, torn-off tissue, shattered bones… Even with Rin's help, while he's in this state there's not much… *sniffle* not much I can do." Tears have begun welling up in her eyes and she appears on the verge of breaking down again.

"Irisviel!" I sternly address her. "I know you're upset, but now's not the time. Stay level-headed for Shirou. Come on, is there any way we can get him to a state where you can heal him properly?" She quickly wipes her eyes with her sleeve while answering me.

"I-If we could somehow perform surgery and get everything- all his bones, organs- realigned, I could probably manage. But even then, the amount of mana it would take… and I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough to attempt a procedure like that." I turn to Rin upon her saying this. She answers by shaking her head.

"I barely even know the fundamentals of human anatomy." Rin states. "Much less anything surgical." Both of their expressions, as well as my own, grow despaired as we arrive at this point of dwindling hope.

I hear someone sigh in a masculine voice from the doorway. I turn to see Archer leaning against the wall, evaluating the situation from a distance. He straightens up and begins walking towards us. He lifts his hand forward, blue energy swirling around his palm. As he approaches Shirou, an object takes shape above his hand. Once the energy subsides and the object is fully formed, it's revealed to be a metallic tray with what appears to be surgeon tools lining it.

"Give me a little bit of space." He commands. "I'll get everything in place so you two can get to healing him." We all quickly move away, and Archer moves to lean over Shirou, setting his tray of tools beside him.

Rin and Irisviel excuse themselves from the room, probably not being able to stomach seeing Archer cut and dig around inside of Shirou. He starts by hastening to realign his stomach organs, seeing as it's probably the most critical wound he has at the moment. Archer handles it fairly quickly, ending by taking his open skin flaps and pressing them together with a clamp.

The next target he moves to is Shirou's upper right side, looking as though it's been caved in. He takes a short knife from the tray and begins cutting the skin open, unveiling the shattered remains of his right ribcage. Surprisingly, one or two remain intact. However, the rest are totally broken.

Archer pulls out the bone fragments and places them on the table, lining them up accordingly. Once he's certain they're all out, the familiar blue energy crackles across his left arm, as he begins summoning something. After the summoning, he holds in his hand, what appears to be, several long wires.

"What are those?" I ask, confused.

"They're brackets made of synthetic mesh." He responds immediately. "I need them to keep the ribs straight until Irisviel mends them." While saying this, he aligns the bones on Shirou's side with the brackets, ending by placing the skin flaps closed with a clamp once more.

"Won't those be in the way once they're finished healing?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"They'll disappear by then." I don't question him further as he moves to Shirou's right arm. Instead of doing anything fancy, he just runs his hands along the appendage, setting and aligning the bones as straight as he can, not seeming to care about being gentle. Once he's finished, Archer does a final evaluation on the rest of Shirou's body.

"He's peppered with more minor cuts and bruises all around." He states while inspecting Shirou's head. "The worst one is the gash spanning from his left eyebrow up across his forehead. Compared to the major injuries though, it's insignificant… Could you go get Irisviel and Rin now? He's bleeding even more after all my handiwork, tell them to hurry."

I nod and jump to my feet before hastening out the door, my eyes staying glued to Shirou's torn-up body until I exit. Rin and Irisviel are just a few strides down the hall from the room, nervously talking to each other. Thankfully, both of their eyes seem to have dried; they both seem more serious than scared now.

"Archer's ready. He wants you two to hurry in." They both nod and waste no time in following me back into the room. As soon as we enter, Archer immediately begins instructing them.

"The most grievous injuries he suffered are here" Archer points to Shirou's stomach "and here." He moves his finger to point at Shirou's right side. "Irisviel, focus on healing these spots. Rin, if you can use healing magecraft, then assist her. If not, use your mana source to supplement Irisviel's." Rin opens her mouth to respond, looking concerned.

"Archer I-"

"No!" He interrupts, loudly. "There's no more time for discussion. I have no idea how much time Shirou Emiya has left with these wounds, but it's not much. Honestly, I'm certain he should be dead already. If you want to save him, act now."

Irisviel had already begun casting her healing magecraft on Shirou's abdomen while Archer spoke. Rin appears as though she has more to say, but she bites her tongue and kneels next to Irisviel, ready to help. Archer nods approvingly.

"Don't concern yourselves with the small scrapes and bruises." He instructs. "Including the nasty-looking one on his forehead. We'll disinfect those and bandage them. Let them heal naturally; conserve your mana for the life-threatening ones. As for the arm," he turns his attention to the badly broken appendage "if you have enough mana to keep going, move to heal it last. Otherwise… we can't let it sit without healing for too long, so amputation might-"

"Enough, Archer." Irisviel sharply interrupts him. "I'll heal it all… I'll fix it, so just let me focus now." Archer simply nods, saying nothing more. He moves towards the door to leave, gesturing for me to follow. I quickly follow him out the room, shutting the door behind us.

"I know you're worried about him, Saber." Archer begins. "However, we should leave them alone for now so they can focus on patching him up. I'll dematerialize so that I don't impede on my master's magic supply. I'm sure it'll be difficult given the situation, but you should really go and try to get some sleep. That way, you can lighten the load on your master's shoulders, too. Even if just a little bit."

I nod at his suggestion. He also responds with a nod before fading away into his spirit form. Once Archer is gone, I feel my head hang slightly. _Why…?_

I reflect on all my time spent with Shirou; on all of the encounters we've had with one another. When I first laid eyes on him, in the backyard trying to fight a servant empty-handed, with a broken arm to boot. I thought he was a child in way over his head. Refusing to fight with anything other than a simple bow and arrow, treating Irisviel's word as law and putting her life well before his own, clumsily training with me in the dojo, desperately trying to help and fight alongside us… I always thought he was such a buffoon.

My opinion was always so low of him, so why? _Why is it I'm so terrified knowing he might die? Why do I feel so responsible, so ashamed?_ I haven't even known the boy for a week. _He was so stupid. Why did he have to be so stupid? Look where it has gotten him. His stupidity- his… No…_

"What in the world am I thinking?" I quietly ask myself.

 _When was it that I, the king of knights, began misinterpreting bravery as foolishness?_

I find myself approaching the door to the room he's being healed in, instinctively. I reach to open it but stop myself. _No, I'll just be in the way. I need to go rest to ease the strain on Irisviel's mana supply._ That being said, before leaving, I crack open the doorway to peek back inside once more. Irisviel's hands float above Shirou's midsection by just a couple of inches. The glow from her healing magecraft is the only thing that illuminates Shirou's figure in the dark room. His eyes are now closed and his face dons a blank expression. However, his brows will occasionally furrow, and the corners of his mouth will sometimes twitch, telling me he yet lives. _Shirou… I hope whatever dream occupies your mind now- that it's a pleasant one._

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

 _I'm surprised when yet another one of my senses return to me. I can hear something as the light around me begins to subside. The sound of a gentle breeze blowing, bristling the foliage it passes over. The wind carries the potent floral smell all around me as the light continues to diminish. Eventually, an image materializes before me._

 _I'm in a round pavilion of some sort, with prismatic floor tiling of varying blue and purple hues. Golden, blue-trimmed supporting pillars dot the perimeter of the open-aired room. From the center of the room, over the guard railing, I can see only a slightly cloudy, golden sky far away. Despite smelling flowers, I see no trace of them- or any below ground at all, for that matter. This tells me this room, wherever I am, is high above the surface level._

 _While taking in these new, strange surroundings, I hear footsteps to my right. The slow-paced footsteps continue until a figure enters from the corner of my vision. A bizarre man walks across the floor in front of me, an inquisitive gaze occupying his purple irises. He's dressed in white robes adorned with colorful ribbons. A wooden staff, dressed in similarly colorful decorations, is clutched in his right hand, the base of it tapping the floor with every other step he takes._

 _As if he realized I'd taken notice of his presence, his curious gaze lights up in surprise and he straightens up where he stands, ceasing to walk. The staff vanishes from his hand and he raises his arms up in a welcoming manner._

"Greetings, young man." _He states._ "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

 _I attempt to respond to him, but no words come out. The question I wanted to ask him- "Where am I?"- crosses my mind. Upon me thinking this, the man gestures to the scenery over the edge of the railing._

"Why, you're in no place other than Avalon." _He answers._ "Breathtaking, isn't it?" _He asks while staring at the brilliant, glowing sky. I continue to stare at him curiously, too confused to share in admiring the view. He seems to notice this before turning back to face me and continuing._

"Wondering why I can read your mind? Why you can't speak? Well, you're not exactly _here_ here- if you were _here_ here, you'd be in the same boat as me which is- uh, anyways, your body isn't here, I just transitioned your consciousness to join me. You can't talk, move, or do anything really- except perceive what's around you, thanks to me." _I grow worried knowing that this weirdo seems to have hijacked my soul._

"No, no. It's nothing as extreme as that." _He quickly reassures me._ "I can't control your soul or body or anything, I'm basically projecting your awareness here so we can have a little chit-chat. You could show a little gratitude, you know. Not many people get to visit this paradise. You have no idea how many strings I had to pull- how many hoops I had to jump through to make this meeting happen."

" _Who even are you?"_

"Hm? You don't remember?" _He asks, appearing confused._ "Oh, I suppose you wouldn't, considering I'm in this get-up." _He states while gesturing to his distinguishable clothing._ "One moment."

 _He wafts his hand in the air and makes a strange movement with his fingers. He then lifts it to show a pair of glasses have formed in his grip. After taking a moment to carefully unfold the pair of thick-rimmed, black glasses, he puts them on. As soon as they adorn his face, his entire image changes. The outlandish garments morph into a much more familiar pair of slacks and white coat. His face becomes a bit plainer and his hair loses some of its color and luster. I grow shocked, realizing who he is after the minor changes to his appearance._

" _The botanist…?"_

"Indeed." _He answers._ "I suppose a more proper greeting would be 'pleasure to meet you _again_ '. Though, I should really come clean about something." _He continues while removing the glasses, his appearance returning to its former, gaudy self._ "I'm not truly a botanist. That was just a front. Well, unless you consider being the Magus of Flowers is appropriate enough to fill that role."

" _The 'Magus of Flowers'? Just who are you, really?" After a moment, he sighs at my question and his expression becomes a touch more serious._

"Fine, enough beating around the bush." _He pauses for a moment, apparently lost in thought, before continuing._ "There's really no need to tell you, but I suppose I can, as a courtesy." _He places his hand on his chest and bows his head slightly._ "Hello, Shirou Emiya. I am Merlin."

"… _Merlin?" Wait a minute. The Magus of Flowers, Merlin. The utopia Avalon. The true name of Saber's sword, Excalibur. All of this is straight out of the story of King Arthur. Upon remembering the identity of Saber's weapon, I feel anxiety spread throughout me. "Wait… what happened before I ended up here? I can't really remember…"_

"Alright, alright." _Merlin calls out, interrupting me._ "We'll go through all of that, just slow down." _He turns towards the edge of the pavilion, the vast, magnificent sky lying in the distance._ "Firstly, come over here with me."

 _At his behest, I- my consciousness- transitions from the center of the room to right at the edge, just as he arrives to stand next to me at the railing. Awe fills me at what I see. The vast landscape below is unlike anything I'd ever seen before._

 _Immediately around the base of the large tower we're in, there are clusters of vibrant, pink flowers growing all around. They look even better than I'd imagined when first smelling their pleasant scent. Beyond that, however, is something just as gorgeous._

 _A vast plain of grasslands extends into the foreseeable distance, appearing as if it goes on forever. The land somehow looks perfectly flat, and the grass is the softest, purest green I've ever seen. A soft sheen lingers over the greenery, making it appear to glow. I find myself certain that if I were to lay on it, it'd feel softer than any mattress or pillow I've ever touched. All of this is complimented by the golden sky and sparse, fluffy clouds. Warm, brilliant sunlight pours down on the land, illuminating it all perfectly._

"Tell me, Shirou." _Merlin suddenly begins._ "What do you think of the paradise known as Avalon?"

" _It's magnificent." I think, immediately. "It's like something out of a fairy tale. I've never seen anything so breathtaking."_

"So, your heart can still be moved by beauty then? Interesting." _I'm confused by his strange comment, but he continues before I can question it._ "Yes, this is the mythical land spoken of in the legend of King Arthur. I believe you're well acquainted with him, or rather her, now, aren't you?" _I attempt to respond, but he continues again before I can._

"It's just as you say, magnificent. Even though I'm condemned to stare at this land for all of eternity, I somehow never grow tired of looking upon it. It is from here, this tower, that I continue to view the land of Avalon, while watching closely over humanity."

" _Watching?" I ask._

"Yes, watching." _He answers._ "I was gifted long ago with clairvoyance- the ability to watch the happenings of humans, to a certain extent. It's how I find joy in my day-to-day life. How I find entertainment, information, purpose. And, it's how I found you, Shirou."

" _Found me?" I ask. "…Oh, you're referring to that day I was lost in the forest?" Merlin does not respond, instead looking out at the scenery, deep in thought. "Actually, how were you able to go and meet me that day? You mentioned that you're trapped here forever, right?" Again, Merlin does not respond. I wait, expecting a response to eventually come my way. Merlin never says anything. He just stares out, still pondering whatever it is that he's thinking about._

" _Well…" I finally continue "however it was that you ended up there that day, I really should thank you. Not only did you help me find my way out of that forest, but you gave me the arrow." Merlin's mouth twitches and his brow furrows at my mentioning of the arrow. Warily, I continue._

" _It… it's been a great boon. Time and time again, it has proved its usefulness to me. So, for helping me that day, and for giving me that wonderful gift, I thank you. Thank you for helping me." As I relive the memory of him giving me the arrow, I realize now I finally have the chance to discover what it is- where it came from. "Actually Merlin, what is-"_

"Help you?" _Merlin questions sharply, his tone harsh. He turns away from the view, towards me. I'm taken aback by his gaze- critical and filled with contempt._ "What in the world are you talking about? I've been doing everything in my power to hinder you."


	20. Chapter 20

_It was a good life. That is what I tell myself. Though the end may have been regretful, up until that point, it was a good life. That is what I tell myself._

 _I never second-guessed myself on the decision I made. I never dared to let myself think "what if?". Because, after I took that first step, it would've been pointless anyways. I merely tried my hardest with the role that fell upon me. So that, in the end, I knew I did the best I could._

 _It didn't matter to me that I was alone. I was surrounded by a prosperous nation, the most reliable subjects, and the most powerful of warriors- but still, I was always alone. However, that was ok. I always reminded myself that that was to be expected. A king doesn't reserve the luxury of genuine companionship._

 _But… at the very least… just once… I wanted someone to tell me I was doing good._

* * *

My eyes flutter open as I feel an ache radiate through my head. I slowly sit up, feeling a similar pain throughout the rest of my body. I look around to ascertain where I am. It doesn't take me long to identify my surroundings as the dojo. I'm lying on the floor next to my small table, a woolen blanket draped over me. The sunlight is pouring bountifully into the old room from the lone window, telling me it must be midday, at least.

"A… dream?" I rub my eyes, half-expecting them to be damp with tears. Thankfully, they're not. _I don't ever dream, so why now?_ I simply tell myself I dug up a memory while resting. A horrible, selfish memory.

"There are more pressing matters at the moment." I silently tell myself while rising to my feet. As I expected, my body feels significantly weaker once I stand up. _I should check on Irisviel…_

I quietly slide open the door to Shirou's room. I gasp at what I see, relief washing over me. Shirou lies, sleeping peacefully, on his futon with fresh sheets and covers underneath him. His stomach, side, and even his arm, are all healed up, with not even a trace of damage to indicate how badly they were broken. A few bandages dot his body, covering the minor cuts Archer referred to. The worst injury adorning him now is the one on his forehead, being obscured by the stretch of gauze wrapped around his head.

Right next to him, kneeling on the floor with her head on his right thigh, is Irisviel, in a deep slumber. Despite her being sound asleep, I can tell from the puffy eyes and slight bags underneath that it was a rough night. While I stand smiling at the two snoozing away, I hear someone enter through the door behind me. Rin walks past me and moves to kneel beside the futon, wash bucket and cloth in hand. Her messy hair and gaunt expression tell me she's extremely tired as well.

"I can't believe it…" I begin. "You managed to do it. You saved Shirou." Rin lets out a weak laugh at my comment. She wrings out the dampened cloth and begins wiping Shirou's abs while answering.

"Just barely. We only finished healing him about half an hour ago. And by 'we', I mean Irisviel. I swear, that woman amazes me. Long after I ran out of mana, she kept going. She kept telling me she was fine, but I could tell how hard she was straining. There's no telling when she hit her limit, and how long she kept persisting after that. I suppose I witnessed what they call motherly love firsthand."

Rin didn't even have to explain for me to know. I could tell from how feeble I felt when waking that Irisviel had pushed herself far too hard. _She really needs to slow down… I fear to think what will happen if she keeps overexerting herself._ I decide that I'll need to have a talk regarding it with her later.

"Should we wake Shirou up and see how he's feeling?" I ask Rin, not being able to suppress my anxiety. She gently wipes the sweat from his face with the cloth before responding to me.

"About that…" She finally begins, hesitantly. "Irisviel and I have already tried. He wouldn't budge, though. He's sleeping like a log."

"He must be very tired." I quickly interject. She pauses for a moment before continuing to wipe him down.

"I hope that's all it is…" She quietly states.

After Rin finishes cleaning the sweat off Shirou, she excuses herself from the room, saying she needs to go get some sleep before she collapses. Once I'm sure she's gone, I quietly tiptoe around Shirou's futon and occupy the spot she had been kneeling at, across from Irisviel. I find myself watching his sleeping face intently, fighting back the urge to try and shake him until he wakes up. _Shirou…_

While watching over him, I notice he's beginning to get restless. His face starts dampening with sweat again as his breathing turns heavier and a troubled expression begins to emerge. The labored breathing quickly evolves into borderline heaving as his troubled expression turns fearful. I look around in a panic, unsure of what to do.

"Sh-Shirou? What's wrong?!" I ask him. Obviously, he doesn't respond. Instead, he just continues to fall prey to whatever it is that's troubling him.

While I look across his body, wondering what's wrong, I notice his right hand. It lies only a few inches away from Irisviel, tensing and clutching the air repeatedly. _It looks as if he's trying to grab something._ As soon as I have this thought, I lift my gaze to see, across the room and on the floor next to his pair of shoes, his signature arrow.

I rise to my feet and hurry across the room to grab it, as though I'm certain it's what he wants. Once I return to my spot next to him, I lean over and reach to hand it to him. As soon as the wooden shaft touches his skin, his fingers wrap around it, tight as a vice. I'm surprised by how quickly and forcefully he latched onto the arrow. Curious, I attempt to tug it out of his grip. It doesn't so much as wiggle.

I notice his heavy breathing has quickly reverted to a more normal level and I look to see his expression appears much less terrified. _I guess that's what he wanted._ Even though he's calmed down quite a bit, his face still looks concerned, with a grimace and furrowed brows.

"Still dreaming, hm?" I quietly ask him, not expecting an answer. I lean down and rest my head on his free thigh, adjacent to Irisviel. _I hope it's a more pleasant one than mine…_

† **º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†º†**

"I've been doing everything in my power to hinder you." _In sync with Merlin's proclamation of hostility, the wind picks up, causing his hair to slightly billow in its gale._

" _Hinder me? What are you talking about?"_

"Exactly what I said. Using every trick at my disposal, I've been doing everything I can to try and stop you." _I'm wracked with confusion as I try to make sense of his words. If I had my face now, surely I would be slack-jawed at this turn of events._

" _I-I don't understand, Merlin. What you're saying- it's a stark contrast to what you've done for me."_

"Tch, so you still perceive it as such? It doesn't matter, you'll remember the truth soon enough."

" _Remember the truth? What do you mean? The only thing I remember is you helping me in the forest that day. You gifting me with the arrow. That's the only encounter I've had with you before now." Merlin shakes his head at me._

"No, Shirou. You and I- we've never met before. I never helped you and I most certainly didn't give you that arrow." _…What?_

" _No, no. I specifically remember you-"_

"Mental Interference." _He sternly states, interrupting me._ "Your memory of me, of that day, is just a fabrication. In fact, a good portion of your memories are fraudulent. I weaved an entire false year of memories into your mind. From the day you were saved in the fire following the fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War, until 364 days later. Everything you remember from that time- it's a farce." _His words stun me. I stay silent, unsure of what to think. Immediately, I find myself unable to believe him._

"Believe me or don't, I care little." _He continues._ "As I said earlier, you'll soon remember the truth regardless, so it matters not."

" _Why would you do such a thing?" I ask, feeling scared. "And even if you did, why bring me here to tell me?"_

"Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't go through the effort of arranging this conversation just to let you know I pulled the wool over your eyes almost 10 years ago. My intentions are far more serious than that. As for why I did it…" _Merlin pauses midsentence. He looks over the edge of the pavilion, pondering something. He eventually seems to have decided on whatever it was he was thinking about before turning to face me._

"First, let me ask you something. Depending on your answer, I may just send you back and pretend like I never even knew you existed." _I wait, still confused as ever, for his question._

"Can you promise me that once you leave here and reawaken in your home, that you will throw your lucky arrow away and never look back?"

" _What?" I ask, confused. "No, why would I do that?"_

"Then, that's it. There's your answer." _He replies, assuredly._ "If you answer with anything other than 'yes' to that question, I know all my actions were justified. That is the reason why I did what I did. All of my actions taken, regarding you, stem from that wretched object." _His words shake me thoroughly. It's not the first time I've heard something like this. Rider had a familiarity with it, though she didn't appear to be this hostile towards it._

" _Why do you care about it at all? And if you didn't give it to me, then where did it come from? At least tell me that if you want me to get rid of it; I haven't the slightest clue of its origin."_

"…You should know damn well where that 'arrow' came from." _He spits back, his anger apparent._ "All of its components are much more modern additions, as you'll soon see when your memories return. All pieces except for one. The blade serving as its arrowhead. Truly, I've not the slightest clue as to where it came from. It's existence far predates that of my own. I can't even begin to fathom what machinations brought it into existence." _The arrowhead? I try to remember where it came from- the arrowhead, the shaft, the feather, the leather straps binding it, the arrow itself in its entirety. All I can recall is the botanist, Merlin, giving it to me. Over and over again._

" _I don't remember…"_

"You will." _He states, simply._ "Once my magic altering your memories inevitably fails, you'll know the bizarre story of how you obtained it."

" _Why…? Why would you erase my memories of the arrow? Of everything that happened that year?"_

"I did not erase your memories completely. I am not capable of such a feat. What you remember is actually not that different from what really happened. All I did was change them enough so that they diverted from what actually took place. My intention was to suppress the events that transpired over the span of that year. What happened- what truly happened- set your life on a certain course. That course ends in a dark place. I altered them to the best of my abilities as to try and delay the result of those events from transpiring. However, my efforts to do so are at their limit.

"The events you experienced are tied too closely to the being known as Shirou Emiya. Your origin, your fate- these events derive from and simultaneously end with both. Because of this, no matter how powerful the magic, these points in your life will inevitably resurface. On top of that, despite my best efforts to make it an insignificant object, you clung devoutly to that arrow. Your consistent, prolonged exposure to it has only contributed to the real memories of that year overpowering those that I constructed.

"As if the inevitable date you awoke to the truth wasn't already close enough because of all of this, to rub salt in the wound, the Fifth Holy Grail War begins. That wouldn't pose too much of a threat normally, but the servants… the number of them who coincide with your fate is astounding. It has unconditionally set the gears in motion. Last of all, the final nail in the coffin, is your body and the state it is in. It has solidified the resurfacing of these memories."

" _The state my body is in? What do you mean?"_

"You suffered incredibly grievous wounds before I brought you here. Because of this, you are currently in a coma. As such, in this time where your body remains out of commission and your mind functions at full capacity, alongside all these other conditions being met, my magic can no longer suppress the events of the year following the Fourth Grail War. Once your consciousness leaves Avalon, like a passing dream the memories will flood back into you and you will awaken remembering everything. I can only pray you never manage to wake up."

"… _If you hate me so much, why not just kill me?"_

"As I've said, I cannot interact with your soul nor body. Only your mind." _He instantly responds, spitefully._ "Indeed, if it were within my power to put an end to your life, I would've done so after that dreaded year had passed. Unfortunately, implanting a year of lies within you is the extent of what my powers could do from here in Avalon." _So many confusing emotions well up in me at what he says. Anger, fear, sorrow._

" _What happened that was so terrible? To make you hate me this much?!"_

"Again, you will soon see. There's no point in me explaining now, with that being the case. However, I can tell you one thing, at least."

" _Which is?"_

"Had what happened on the final day of that year not occurred, I never would've concerned myself further with you. I would've said 'whatever happens happens, I suppose'. We never would've had this talk; I would've never brought you here to see me." _His words do nothing to ease my already confused, paranoid psyche._

" _And why is it that you brought me here?" As I ask this, the already strong wind becomes even more forceful. The flowers and grass below bend and sway with the gust. Petals get swept up and fly with the current, encircling the tower in a pink veil. Merlin notices this and looks around._

"Our time together is nearing its end." _He states, regrettably._ "So, I'll make this quick. Explaining all of this to you is not the reason I made you appear before me. I did so to ask something of you. A request _." I feel appalled by what the man says._

" _After all of what you just said- after all you've done, you expect me to do a favor for you?"_

"No, I don't." _He states, seriously._ "I expect you to do a favor for all of humanity." _…What? All of the anger and resentment I'd been feeling slowly dissipates upon seeing how dead serious he seems, leaving only fear and suspense._

" _What- what is it?"_

"When you awaken… Please… Please kill yourself, Shirou Emiya."

 _A silence fills the room after his request. The only noise is the blowing of the wind, slowly increasing in strength. I can tell he's sincere in what he asks of me. I'm at a loss of words on how to respond._

" _Kill myself… what…"_

"Is that a no?" _He asks quickly, seeming impatient._

" _I don't understand- I…" He sighs in frustration. I notice that my vision has begun blurring._

"It's too late. Our time is up." _Merlin states while beginning to walk away, across the floor of the pavilion._ "My request still stands, whether you accept it or not. Do the world a service and end your life. If you choose not to… I can only hope the course of this Grail War will end with you lying dead."

 _After he says this, a streak of light forms in the torrent of wind circling the tower. The glistening breeze, speckled with flower petals, floods in over the railing before converging on me. I become enveloped by the familiar light before being flown away. The image of the tower rising from the flower garden in the middle of Avalon grows more distant and blurrier as I'm carried off. Everything blurs until I can only perceive a bright light around me. Again, I allow myself to be taken for the ride, unable to do anything else._

 _After a while in transit, the light suddenly vanishes like a candle abruptly being blown out. I find myself in the familiar darkness I occupied before being spirited away by the mage; my mind. …Kill myself? Throw away my arrow? Why did he ask these things of me? For what reason? I can't understand his demands. I continue dwelling on his request, wondering for what reason he posed it to me. I have no idea how long I reflected on it, but eventually I grow sick of thinking about it and try to think of other things._

 _I recall being told by him that I was in a coma. So, there's no telling how long I have to endure this darkness. Moments after thinking this, I have a feeling wash over me. The feeling one gets as they're just waking up, when they emerge from the groggy tiredness and bloom into being awake. Well, that wasn't a very long 'coma' at all._

* * *

I open my eyes. The lights are off in my room. I'm tucked in, beneath my covers. After lying still for a moment, the first thing I do is let out a long sigh of relief. _How scary… could that have been a dream? It certainly felt far too real to be one._ I shake my head, deciding I'll sort it out later. First, I want to find Irisviel and make sure she's ok. I sit up and quickly swing my legs out from under the covers before standing up from my bed, on the cold wooden floor.

It is then, immediately, that I know something is wrong. Not even mentioning the fact that I sleep in a futon, not a bed, or that I have tatami matting in my room, not wooden flooring- I can tell something is off. I look around, trying to discern what it is. Eventually, my gaze falls down and I take a look at myself. My hands, arms, feet, legs, my entire body is smaller than normal.

"What's going o-"

*Craaaack* *SLAM* My question is interrupted as something falls through the roof of the room and onto the floor, just a few feet from where I'm standing. It doesn't take me long to discern what it is. A wooden rafter. A charred, burning wooden rafter.

This event suddenly makes me more aware of my surroundings. The room I'm in- it's a child's room, adorned with posters, toys, and various other things. It's also filled to the brim with smoke. Realization slowly starts to dawn on me.

I duck beneath the collapsed wooden beam and rush to the bedroom door. Without thinking, I immediately grab the doorknob.

"Ah!" Pain ripples across my hand as the scalding handle burns it. I grit my teeth and turn the brass knob, fighting through the pain. The door opens to unveil a hallway littered with flames. "*cough* *cough* I have to… get outside."

I zigzag through the hallway, trying my hardest to avoid the inferno as best I can. I manage to make it to the end without my clothes catching ablaze. I notice the front door already hangs slightly ajar, relieving me to know I won't have to grab a handle again. I sprint towards it, readying my shoulder to ram past it and make it outside to safety. I collide into the door and knock it aside before jumping out and planting my feet on the concrete walkway outside. My eyes widen.

All around me, in every direction one can look, there are flaming houses, collapsed buildings, and a miasma of toxic smoke. My feet tread forward, weakly, towards the street. _No… not again._

As I arrive at the street, filled with burning corpses, flaming rubble, and black mud, I lift my gaze towards the sky. Merlin's words echo throughout my head. _The memories of what happened will return to me._ Far above the city, there's a hole in the sky. From this hole, dark liquid pours down like a faucet.


	21. Dream I

Hell. That was the best way to describe it. Being surrounded by walking corpses of which were only a few inches away from death, having the soles of my old sneakers melt and burn into the pads of my feet, slowly losing the ability to breathe as the toxic smog of the fire penetrated my lungs and polluted them, and of course the red flames hissing and whipping away at my skin as I walked on, trying my hardest to find areas where the flames weren't raging. But it was no use; not an inch of my old hometown wasn't enveloped in the raging inferno. After having seen countless people screaming hellish moans at me from the charred remains of houses, begging for help as they slowly cooked to death, and after my own body had been blistered and charred all over from the relentless fire, I grew tired.

So, I myself found my own pile of embers and smoldering remnants to lay my weary body down on. Yes, if hell truly existed, then this had to be it. I blacked out.

Not long after everything faded to darkness, I feel my body get forcefully lifted up from the coals I'd collapsed in. Strong hands hold me up securely. I attempt to open my eyes and see what's happening, but I feel too weak to do so.

"Are you alive?!" I hear a masculine voice ask me. "Please- ngh! Please, be alive." _He sounds so desperate._

Feeling as though I owe it to him, I muster up all my remaining strength. I force my eyes half-open and stare up at the man. A middle-aged man with messy, black hair holds me in his arms. His hair, along with his sparse facial scruff, is singed in multiple spots, graying the dark follicles. Alongside the singed hair, he looks similar to me in that he has burns covering his face and neck. Upon my eyes meeting his, the dire worriedness within his irises dissipates and they begin dampening with tears.

"Thank goodness… you're alive." He murmurs, sounding genuinely happy. "I did it, I found someone."

If I could talk, I'd be screaming at him to drop me and hurry and get the hell out of here. _You… idiot. What are you doing? The fire is still raging everywhere. It's too late for me, save yourself._ I try to convey these thoughts with my eyes, but it's no use. I fail to manage keeping them even half-open as they slowly shut again, this time for good.

I feel strokes of heat waft over my body when occasional flames lick me as I pass. The man has begun running to some unknown location, with me in tote. Embers or specks of debris will sometimes pelt my face as he quickly rushes throughout the burning city. Even being only semi-aware of my surroundings, I can tell we're moving at great speeds. _It's as though he's moving twice as fast._

Eventually, I notice that it feels significantly less hot. As soon as I realize this, I feel myself fall and stumble across the ground, as the man who'd been carrying me collapses. As I feel myself slipping, I hear another voice, a short distance away.

"Ki-Kiritsugu!" Someone shouts as they approach. _A woman?_ "Oh no. Darling, are you ok?" She asks, sounding terrified, only a few feet away from me.

"*cough* *wheeze* I'm… afraid not." The familiar, masculine voice tells her. "But, I did it. I found someone *cough* …someone who still lives." After a short pause, filled with the sound of the woman sniffling and sobbing, she answers him.

"Kiritsugu, he's in even worse shape than you. He's at death's door, any second now and he'll be gone." Just as she says, everything I hear begins to grow duller and duller as it's replaced with a steadily increasing ringing noise.

"Iri… give it to him." The man commands her.

"W-What? Kiritsugu I… I couldn't-"

"Please… save his life. This- this is my penance." A long silence ensues after he says this.

At first, I assume I had finally slipped away, leaving this life. However, I hear a faint noise that proves me otherwise. A high-pitched, radiant noise breaks out as my face heats up from a warmth being cast on it.

"Thank… you…" The man suddenly states in a much weaker voice.

Because of my curiosity and concern of what's happening, I somehow force a crack to separate between my left eyelids, opening up a window for me to see. It's blurry, but I can manage to see someone, the woman, extracting a long, glowing object from the abdomen of someone else, the man. This short glimpse is all I can manage though, as my eye drifts shut, and everything becomes silent and hazy. Just as everything ceases to be, and I lose consciousness, I feel a warmth break out in my chest and spread throughout my body, putting me at ease.

The next time I opened my eyes, it would be because I felt coolness dripping all over my body due to the rain pouring down from above. Had I survived? No, I surely died, but someone else seemed to have reeled my life back into this body. And it was her. A beautiful woman who looked as though she was a snowflake amidst a pool of lava. She was smiling down at me, her silky, white hair a mess and her crimson eyes filled with the strongest mixture of sadness and happiness I've ever seen. I was wrapped tightly in her arms, as though she thought if she let up on her grip even slightly, I would slip away again and be lost forever. Then she said to me: "You're so very right… **To save one life means not saving another** …"

As the woman hugs me, I cast my gaze to the side and look over her shoulder. The rain is extinguishing the lingering flames of the city. However, it's too late. Everything has been razed to the ground. I continue watching the depressing, heart-sinking show while the woman hugs me reassuringly for a while longer. Eventually, we hear the sound of a siren- what sounds like an ambulance's- approaching in the distance.

"D-Do you hear that?" The woman asks me, between sobs. "Help has finally arrived. Come on, let's get us somewhere safe and dry, hm?" I weakly nod my head, feeling too feeble to respond verbally.

The woman rises up from the ground, holding me tightly, and begins walking towards the sound of the sirens, away from the smoldering devastation. As we walk away, I notice something lying in the remnants, close to where she was holding me. The body of a man, badly burned in many spots, rests atop the debris. A content smile is on his face.

After only a short while of walking, the woman calls out, asking for help. I hear quick footsteps approach us until two paramedics arrive and hastily pull me from her arms. If I could speak, I would verbally protest and attempt to rejoin the only source of comfort I have left. However, I cannot, so I let the two men carry me off, watching as the woman quickly follows behind us.

We arrive at one of many ambulances lining the street leading into the broken-down remains of the city. I pay little attention as the three adults quickly communicate with each other while loading me onto the ambulance's gurney. Once I lie strapped onto the stretcher, the two paramedics quickly load into the vehicle, once occupying the driver's seat, and the other sitting on the bench in the back, next to me.

I look around, wondering where the woman is. I'm relieved when my eyes fall upon the front passenger chair, and I see her familiar silver hair over the corner of the seat. As the paramedic in the back closes the rear double-doors, the woman turns her head and peeks back. Her crimson eyes meet mine and, despite being broken-hearted and teary-eyed, she forces a smile for me, making me feel more secure.

The vehicle starts up and begins driving off, to whatever hospital it is that they're taking me to. Surprisingly, as I ride, I feel better and better by the second. The burns barely sting now, and I can feel my strength slowly but surely returning to me. The three adults talk amongst each other about various things during the drive; what happened, how the fire started, how we managed to make it out, what our relationship is, if we saw any other survivors, etc. I only half-listen to what they talk about, being more focused on coming to terms with the situation I'm in and what I'm going to do.

 _My parents, my home, my friends, everything- it's gone. How did this happen?_ I stop myself, being too afraid to even think about what comes next. I once again lift my gaze and focus it on the woman sitting in the passenger seat, her face turned to the side as she talks with the paramedic driving. _When she held me… I felt at peace. Even in this horrid situation, just for a moment, I wasn't scared. It almost felt like I completely forgot my life was utterly destroyed prior to it. I wish… I could stay with her. Not just during this car ride or at the hospital, but after that too… forever._

The mistress Fate is a fickle being. None of the things she allows makes sense. Why is that disease and death exist? Why do murders, rapes, suicides, and kidnappings come to pass? Why is it that war, famine, and poverty still persist? And, of course, why did the tragedy that befell my hometown happen, just a while ago?

I pull my gaze away from the front seat and turn to look out the long, horizontal window on the side of the ambulance, behind the man seated at the bench next to me. We're on the Fuyuki bridge, passing into the other side of the city where the hospital is. The passing cars speed by, too fast for me to see. However, as I watch them, they progressively get slower. Time slows almost to a standstill as the next passing vehicle comes into view. A red convertible with the top down, giving me a clear view inside of the car.

The mistress Fate is a fickle being. None of the things she allows makes sense. Why is it, that right after me and the kind woman in this ambulance just experienced such a devastating tragedy, we must yet endure another? For what reason did the man, driving the car adjacent to ours, have to be drinking scalding hot coffee tonight? Why was it necessary that it had to slip from his grasp, just as he begun to pass our ambulance, and spill across his lap?

His hand yanks on the steering wheel and the car veers immediately into our lane. My head jerks around as his car collides directly into the side of the ambulance. I dizzily try to gain my bearings as everything shakes and spins, the sound of screeching tires blaring. Everything finally comes to a violent halt when the ambulance smashes through something and abruptly swings up onto the rear, making it stand vertical.

I at first assume we flipped on the road and ended sitting up on the backend of the ambulance. I look down at my feet, feeling my stomach flip as I'm proven otherwise. The rear doors to the ambulance hang open, revealing what lies beneath us. Nothing. Nothing for quite a distance until you reach the Fuyuki river.

I begin losing control of my breathing as I start hyperventilating, terrified of what I see. To make matters worse, the paramedic who was sitting in the back with me now hangs from the bottom rail of my stretcher, clinging to it for dear life. I struggle and pull with my body to try and move, but it's no use. I'm strapped onto the gurney and I'm far too weak to break free.

I look up to the woman, not knowing what to do and hoping she can somehow save me. She's already unstrapped her seatbelt and begun reaching down to try and secure me. The paramedic in the driver's seat, next to her, is motionless with his head hanging limply. She goes for the first strap on the gurney and skillfully, quickly unlatches it. As she struggles to reach down to the second one, I'm shocked to feel something pull against the next one down, the third and final strap. The paramedic is pulling against it, trying to climb up from the bottom of the ambulance, to safety.

"Stop it!" The lady shouts down at him. "Grab onto something else! It can't support both of your weights!" The man shakes his head in response, his eyes fearful and his breathing unsteady.

"There's nothing else to hold onto!" He yells at her.

Then, he removes his other hand from the bottom rail of the gurney to try and pull himself further up. The bottom strap he's holding onto can't support his weight. It unlatches and slips from his grip, making him drop from the vehicle. Before he falls down to the water below, he manages to quickly latch onto the bottom rail once more with his right hand. The entire stretcher yanks down. I hear the sound of metal straining as if it's about to snap. My stomach drops.

A loud snap sounds off as the lock keeping the stretcher in place breaks. The two, hanging ambulance doors rush past me as I plummet down, down to the water below. The broken gurney I'm fastened to flips in the air as it slips from the man's desperate grip. It twirls in the air as I descend, letting me face upwards. I see the woman, who'd tried so desperately to preserve my life, extending her arm down from the ambulance hanging by its front tires from the bridge, hopelessly.

"NOOOO!" She screams, with a horrified expression, as I fall further and further away.

I briefly hear a loud smack, and my body rattles, before I'm quickly engulfed in water. I slam my lips shut to prevent as much air from leaking out as possible, before using all the force I can muster to try and shake off the final strap restraining me to the deadweight of the gurney. I struggle and struggle and struggle, but I can't seem to free myself from it as I sink further and further into the water.

While I struggle in vain, I take a quick look around to check my surroundings. Relief floods throughout me when I see the paramedic, who'd unintentionally dragged me down here, quickly swimming towards me. _Thank goodness, he survived the fall. I'm saved._

My heart skips a beat and my eyes widen in terror as a large object plunges rapidly into the water and slams directly into the paramedic, mere feet away from me.

"AGUGHHH!" I let out a muffled scream, unintentionally emptying out a good portion of the air I'd been holding in.

The bubbles subside and reveal a large, white object with a flashing red light, which I quickly identify as the ambulance, descending into the water below. A red streak trails behind it as it falls, telling me the man didn't survive it crashing into him.

With newfound fear and motivation, I grit my teeth and spread my arms to the side with as much strength as I can possibly squeeze out. I feel a brief resistance before breaking through, enabling me to spread my arms out and swing them down through the water, propelling me up from the deathbed I'd been strapped to as it continues to descend.

I immediately move to begin swimming back to the surface, but I stop myself when I notice the occasional red flash from the ambulance, further down. _Wait. What if she's still in there?!_ Without even debating the possibility, I immediately turn around and nosedive down, paddling and stroking my arms through the water as quickly as I can. The heavy vehicle is descending faster than me, so I put even more effort into swimming after it in hopes of reaching it before it reaches the riverbed, however far down that is.

As I'm almost upon it, I swim past an object that floats up from it. I immediately recognize the object, staining the water around it crimson, as the unfortunate body of the paramedic. I avert my gaze and try to ignore it as best I can so that I don't grow sick or breathless.

Once the open, rear door is in my reach, I grab onto it and pull myself down, into the inside of the water-logged vehicle. I quickly continue onwards, grabbing onto whatever I can to pull myself forward throughout the inside. Once I reach the front seats, I see that the driver is still buckled in, still motionless. The passenger seat, however, is empty. As soon as my eyes confirm she's not there, I kick off the dashboard of the ambulance and begin paddling upwards to start my trek to the surface.

 _My lungs… feel like they're burning._ I have to hurry up. As I'm paddling up, I take note of the bloodied body floating a short distance away. _The paramedic's corpse…_ Instead of swimming upwards and away from it, I consistently remain at the same level as it as I desperately paddle upwards. _W-What? What's happening?_

I stop paddling for a moment. As soon as I do, I begin drifting away, downwards. _No, no, no, no, NO, NO!_ I've heard about this before. It's a common warning they give regarding swimming in the river- or in any body of water, for that matter. An undertow.

I grunt and groan, bubbles bursting and rising up from my mouth, as I swing and flail my arms, trying to break myself out of the current and pull myself up. After thrashing my arms around for a bit, aimlessly, I realize it's hopeless. I'm a child who's run out of air and is already severely weakened after making it out of that hellfire, barely alive. I let my arms fall still and stop resisting. _Maybe this is fate's way of telling me I'm not meant to live._

I slowly descend further down, allowing the current to take me wherever it's intending to. My ears continuously pop, severe aches break out behind both of my eyes, and I feel my sides beginning to compress from the amount of pressure at this depth.

Surprisingly, I still remain conscious. Despite my lungs being empty and beginning to fill with water, and my body pulsing in pain from the steadily increasing pressure, I'm still aware of what's happening. _Perhaps it's because of whatever trick those two used to save my life back at the flaming city._

I eventually notice, after sinking for only a few seconds, that I'm approaching the riverbed. My surroundings are occasionally illuminated by the flashing light of the sunken ambulance, casting a soft, ominous red glow on the dark bottom.

I'm surprised when, instead of continuing to sink down, my body stops, having landed on something quite a few feet above the river's floor. I rest atop whatever it is for a while until my body slips through a crack in it and gets pulled down, courtesy of the strong undercurrent.

As I descend through the gap, and the distant ambulance shines a brief light on the structure, I see that I'm within a large, long object. What appears to be curved, wooden support beams line the sides of a central, long rafter above. It's reminiscent of the keel and structural beams of a ship. It must be the remains of a boat sunken a long time ago, the hull of a ship. The adjacent, curved beams all point down and jab into the riverbed, creating the image of me falling into a giant cage.

Finally, my back touches the bottom. The end of the road. My limp body falls and rests atop the ground, kicking up a small cloud of the river's dirt and debris. In tune with me reaching the bottom, my thoughts begin to slow, and I feel my time waning.

Having to die twice in one night… is just too cruel. If I knew I'd have to go through all of this, I would've preferred if that man had left me there to burn. Though, I suppose it was nice being able to drift along that current and end up here before the lights went out. This is a pretty interesting place to serve as my final rest, and I had a lot of time to think as I was carried away. _I only regret… not being able to spend more time with her._

 _At this point in the memory, a strange feeling overtakes my body. I remember it before I even see what happens next. Have you ever experienced something that made you feel the tides of fate were about to turn…? Have you ever lived in a moment where the thought occurred to you "this will change everything"? That is the only way I can try to explain the indescribable feeling that this moment instills within me._

The light from the far-flung ambulance finally flashes across the riverbed once more. As my body has the life slowly flow out of it, and my consciousness continues to ebb away, I notice something above me during the brief, subtle illumination from the ambulance.

In the long, segmented, central pole of the sunken structure from which all the surrounding boards branch out from, about halfway down, right in the middle, is something jutting out, glistening. Seemingly as soon as my remaining moments of consciousness become focused on this object, it unlodges itself from the pole and descends through the water.

Time around me feels as though it stands still, the only thing moving being the strange sliver as it approaches me. Something within me grants the strength for me to lift my hand, void of feeling or sensation, up from the ground. The object magnetizes towards it as I reach up.

Despite feeling no pain, no sensation, once the metallic object rests atop my open palm, a jolt runs down my extended arm and an acute reclamation of my body takes place… accompanied by a brief, horrific vision. Coincidentally, in sync with grabbing the object, the ambulance flashes its light once more. Instead of a brief and subtle red flash appearing this time, the entire body of water is illuminated and colored a vivid crimson, giving the appearance of being submerged in a bloody stream.

In this moment, I can see- all around me- jutting from my body, coiling around the remains of the old ship hull, and coursing throughout the vast, glowing river- lines. That's the only way I can describe them. Bloody, crimson lines- streaks that are zigzagging and emerging from the most random of places. I can't decide whether this moment, this image of a bloody river filled with even darker and more saturated veins, is to be considered beautiful or utterly terrifying.

The ambulance light flickers off, instantly plunging my aquatic surroundings into darkness again. I lay, wide-eyed and confused, wondering what happened. My only source of light is the scrap of metal, clutched tightly in my hand, as it sparks and courses with a subsiding red energy. When the ambulance light shines again, no apocalyptic vision engulfs me this time. It's only the normal, unimpressive flicker.

I can't even begin to understand what I just experienced- not that it would matter, anyways. Holding the object bolstered me with a fleeting moment of vigor, but it's now gone. I feel myself about to slip away again. The object has stopped crackling with the red sparks and now appears as just a random hunk of metal, nothing to indicate the horrible sight it conjured mere seconds ago. _Even after that, I suppose my fate remains the same._

Just as I begin to accept my demise once more, I notice something in the distance. Between one of the gaps in the support beams, I see something thin extending down through the water a few feet away, glowing. I immediately fear that it's one of the strange lines that, for some reason, didn't vanish with the rest. After staring at it for a moment though, I realize it's a glowing silver chord, as thin as a string.

 _It's a little, white thread…? White… just like her hair._ Something inside tells me I should try and grab onto it. It's a pointless goal, however. I really, truly can't muster any exertion to try and move this time. I'm doomed to watch this glowing string until I close my eyes for good.

After thinking this, I'm shocked to see my hand, clutching the piece of metal, lift up and move towards the direction of the string. _Huh? How am I…?_ I quickly realize that it's not my hand, not me, that's moving, but the shard I'm holding. My body begins to drag across the sandy floor as the metallic object tugs me along. I don't dare question it.

 _All I have to do… is not let it slip from my grip, and I can make it._ I focus as hard as I can on my hand, desperately clinging onto the small, metallic lifesaver. In due time, it arrives at the string, acting as a beacon of light, before rising up to make contact with it. As soon as the shard touches it, the string reaches down and begins coiling around my arm. All the way to my shoulder, the thread wraps around me like a roll of gauze.

Once my arm is secure, the string suddenly lifts up, quickly pulling me from the depths of the river. My vision flickers while I rise through the water and my neck doesn't have the strength to keep my head raised as I'm reeled up. My head drops, and I'm forced to stare back down at the riverbed. The red light of the ambulance flashes weakly, one final time. My eyes widen in shock at the image it unveils.

Atop the sandy floor of the river, a significant distance away from the ambulance, is the remains of the structure I fell into. The remains of what I had assumed to be a ship. For just a moment, the dull flash of the ambulance's red light revealed to me what it truly is. A giant, picked-clean skeleton.

The area I'd fallen into, what I thought was the hull of a ship, is the skeleton's ribcage. From what I can make out of the skull, attached to the end of its long, winding neck, it looks like something from a museum- the remains of a prehistoric dinosaur.

As the remains fade into obscurity while I'm pulled further and further away, I wonder if that could truly be what it is. Because, I noticed something on the back of the giant, four-legged, long-necked skeleton; two long, pronged bones emerging from the base of the skeleton's neck, cutting at a bend halfway through and fanning out into three smaller bone segments each. _I've never heard of a dinosaur that big having wings…_

"*bleurgh* *cough* *cough*" I weakly sputter and cough as soon as I emerge from the water. A bit of the fluids packed in my lungs spurts up and out my mouth and nose, but I can only force a little out. _I'm too weak to even cough it up._ I try to lift my head up and see what it is that's reeling me in, the source of the glowing thread, but I'm unable to even budge. I stare down at the dark water, slowly growing further away, as the corners of my vision rapidly darken. For the second time tonight, I completely black out.

"Come on… come on!" I hear a feminine voice desperately plead. While she says this, I feel a pressure repeatedly push down on the area below my chest. _What's… happening?_ "Please, please come back to me!" The despair in her voice pains me to hear. The force of her compressions on my chest gives me a sensation that tells me I'm about to expel the river water packed inside of me. I struggle to open my eyes as I feel the brackish water begin to rush up from within me. I feel something clasp around my nose as I manage to tear my eyes open.

The face of the white-haired woman is directly above mine, about one inch away. She's gently pinching my nose shut with her fingers as her face lowers down towards mine, her eyes shut. Before I can fully process what is happening, she closes the rest of the distance and plants her lips onto mine.

"Mm- MMMM?!" I yelp in confusion, into the surprise kiss. Just as she begins to expel breath forcefully into my mouth, I lift my hands and shove her away while turning my head to the side.

"BLEURGHHHH!" I profusely vomit out all the vile, muddy water I had locked up inside of me. "*COUGH* *cough* *cough* *COUGH* Bl- Bleuggh!" I lightly pound my chest with my left fist, desperately trying to force out all of the nasty water.

After expelling most of the pent-up fluids, I begin scooching back, away from the woman. I feel a raging blush begin burning its way across my face. _It's ridiculous how quickly I transitioned from being sick to embarrassed._ I keep my gaze averted, too nervous to look at her.

"Th-That wasn't because of the mouth-to-mouth thing." I quickly try to explain. "It was all the pushing on my chest. It made the-"

I'm cut off as a pair of arms wrap around me and pull me close, into a tight embrace. I hear the woman sobbing, worse than any other time tonight. I sit, motionless, in the embrace. After a while of her hugging me, without letting up, I lift my arms and wrap them around her back in return, unsure of what else to do. This prompts her to finally say something.

"Please… don't ever do that again! Don't leave me alone… You're all I have left." My lip quivers and my eyes fill with tears at what she says. For the second time tonight, I forget all about the scary things that just took place. I don't think about my childhood burning to cinders, that man sacrificing himself for me, or even the carcass of the gigantic beast at the bottom of the river. Joy washes over me and I simply nod my head.

"…Ok." I finally answer.

I look around while she holds me securely. We're on the sidewalk of the bridge, a short distance away from where the ambulance hung off and fell from. On the street, traffic is held up because of the flipped-over convertible further down. Some people have exited their vehicles and now watch the two of us from a distance, clearly concerned.

I begin to wonder where the mysterious shard ended up throughout all that chaos, worrying I may have lost it. I needn't look around for very long, as I soon realize I'm still holding it securely in my right hand. I inspect it more closely, now that I'm above water and have better lighting.

 _Judging by the way it's shaped, it looks as though it's a knife of some sort. Or it was one once upon a time, at least. One side of the blade is even flatter- sharper than the other._ If it ever had a handle, it's long-gone now, leaving only what I assume to be the tang beneath it. Aside from very minor corrosion in several tiny spots, there isn't really any damage to it. The only noticeable blemish is a small nick along the sharp of the blade, creating a little, triangular crevice. I tighten my hold even further on the tang at the base of it, acting as the handle. I tighten my hold, to ensure that I never lose it.

Eventually, police officers arrive and get the traffic flowing. Following shortly in suit, another ambulance arrives to fill in for the one lying down in the riverbed. The woman looks down at me as it arrives, giving me a warm smile. Unlike before, this one doesn't seem forced. She looks genuinely happy, in this moment. The same as me.

She lowers her hand to me, which I don't hesitate to grab. Together, we walk hand-in-hand to the awaiting ambulance. For whatever reason, all I can think about as we walk away is how embarrassing it was when she performed CPR on me. _…That was my first kiss…_


	22. Dream II

_Her name is Irisviel Emiya. Without a doubt, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever met- that I ever will meet._

Several months have now passed since that night. The night fraught with terror, suspense, mystery, and- ultimately- joy. Not long after we arrived at the hospital, the white-haired woman, Irisviel Emiya, extended an offer to me. She asked if I would like to be adopted by her, seeing as how both my parents were gone. I couldn't say yes fast enough.

Things looked bleak when she first took me in, considering we had no place to live. However, our situation quickly improved once an old friend of her late husband, Taiga Fujimura, stepped in and helped us.

We now live in a surprisingly large and rustic mansion in the northern side of Miyama Town. Even though we still remain short on funds, and our new life is only just starting, everything feels as though it's right, and I find myself at ease. Truly, a stark contrast to the events that unfolded merely a few months ago.

Everything that transpired on that night seems so scary and surreal, looking back on it. As if it was all just a bad nightmare. If I didn't have the old, sunken blade that I discovered in the depths of the Mion river as proof, I probably would've convinced myself by now that it was just a figment of my imagination.

I've tried to discuss it with her, with Irisviel. The corpse of the giant beast, the twisted apparitions I saw, and the silver string which reeled me up before she resuscitated me. Every time, she just assures me that it must've been my mind playing tricks on me. After all, I _had_ recently suffered severe trauma and terror at the travesty that befell my old home. Eventually, I quit questioning her about it. Honestly, I was almost convinced by her words. However… one thing always reminds me that what took place, in the dark and murky trench of that river, really happened. The scrap of metal; the blade.

The old blade now serves as a makeshift pocketknife for me. It comes in handy when I go out to play in the woods and when I go cutting wildflowers around the neighborhood to make simple bouquets as gifts for Irisviel. Surprisingly, the flat of the blade is still quite sharp, so I have to take care not to cut myself whenever I use it. Occasionally, I will even go into the old dojo within our house and clumsily swing the object around while pretending I'm a knight or a samurai. It's silly, I know, but for whatever reason, it feels good to do so.

I reflect on all the uses that the blade, which has pretty much become an everyday carry-on for me, has while sitting in our dining room. I sit at the low mahogany table while staring down at the blade and marveling at how it, so easily and suddenly, slipped into my life and became a staple of it. _I think I'll go practice swinging with it after lunch today… or maybe I should go and pick some flowers for Irisviel again? It_ has _been a while since I've given her any…._

"Hmm…" I hum while debating how I should spend my evening. _Oh, I know! I'll just do the thing again._

I place the sliver of metal on the center of the wooden table, in preparation to do the "thing" I mentioned. I gently place my left forefinger on the middle of the blade, careful to avoid the sharp edge, before using my free hand to flick the base of the metal tang. The familiar, light humming noise rings out and an ever-so-subtle vibration courses up my finger as the blade begins to spin atop the center of the table. I quickly remove my finger pressing down on the middle, allowing it to twirl freely.

Like a top, the metal spins and spins before inevitably slowing down and stopping. I follow the direction that the tip of the, now still, blade points. It points in the direction that the dojo rests, on the opposite end of the property.

"I guess I'm going to play in the dojo today." I state, with certainty, while reclaiming my blade from the center of the table.

The little ritual I just conducted where I spun my knife may have seemed bizarre and pointless, but there was indeed a purpose to it. You see, after the events that took place in the river, where the scrap of metal brought upon that scary vision and somehow tugged me across the riverbed towards safety, I was constantly trying to solve the riddle behind those mystical qualities.

I would flick it around and use magic words such as "abracadabra" to try and recreate the sparks of red energy or the conjuring of the bloody lines. I would lie still on the floor and wait, sometimes hours on end, for the blade to suddenly come to life and begin flying me up in the air. However, I was never able to recreate what took place that night, no matter what I tried. Just as I'd begun to convince myself that it wasn't a magic knife and instead a hunk of junk, something occurred that restored my faith in it.

One day, not long after we began living in this house, I was looking for something. I had lost a key to the front door, a spare given to me by Irisviel. I spent the entire day frantically looking for it, terrified by the thought I've lost something entrusted to me by her. I searched and searched, turning the whole house upside down. Eventually, I went to the dining room, where Irisviel was setting the table for dinner, to shamefully tell her I'd lost it.

Teary-eyed, I entered the room. As I was approaching the table, somehow, I tripped and tumbled onto the floor. The old knife slipped out my pocket as I fell and clattered atop the floor. Irisviel quickly set the plate she was carrying down and rushed to my side.

While she was making certain I was alright, my attention fell to the knife that slipped away from me, which I'd almost forgotten I was even still carrying. The knife had flung across the room farther than I expected. It rested atop the floor, merely a couple feet away from our TV stand- which has yet to gain a television to adorn it.

Once Irisviel was sure that I'm fine, she returned to preparing our meal. I quickly crossed the room and reached to reclaim my knife, but hesitated. The knife laid in such a position that the tip of the blade pointed towards the table, underneath it. I don't know what compelled me to do so, but before picking it up, I crouched down and peeked beneath the wooden stand. To my surprise, the object I'd spent all day looking for rested just under the edge of the stand, within the darkness casted by its shadow. The key to the front door.

I paid the incident little mind. I was much more preoccupied being overjoyed that I found the key that I lost. I merely thought of it as a lucky coincidence; that the mysterious, bladed object directed me right to where it was. However, the event did ensure one thing. It recaptured my interest in the scrap of metal and made me far more acute of it.

It didn't take long after the experience for me to discover an oddity about the blade. Sometimes when I would be lounging about the house, I'd find myself growing hungry or thirsty. In preparation to go get a snack or drink, I would move to grab my knife from wherever I sat it down… only to notice something. The tip of the blade would be pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

Obviously, I at first didn't think anything of it. I probably didn't even notice it the first handful of times it happened. However, one eventually grows suspicious of the premise that they placed an object pointing in a certain, consistent direction every single time they set it down.

There are other times when I would wake in the morning and find the blade on my nightstand, directing me towards the bathroom. Or the occasions when I would go bug hunting and accidentally drop it while climbing a tree, only to find it on the ground pointing at a stone or decaying log that, when flipped, unveiled a variety of beetles and crawlers of which I'd never encountered before.

In time, I found myself purposefully setting the knife in a certain direction, making a mental note of how it's positioned, and coming back later to find it had rotated. I would dedicate hours, sometimes even an entire day, watching the knife and waiting for it to move on its own. Never did it budge as I viewed it. Or, perhaps, I was impatient and didn't wait long enough to see the movement. It's even possible that the blade was moving the entire time, only so subtly that I couldn't realize it. Regardless, I've yet to witness it move with my own eyes.

Setting aside the mystery of it moving on its own, there was still the matter of what goal it was trying to achieve by doing so. That goal being, to try and point something out to me- to indicate something.

I couldn't really decipher what its intention was in unveiling the lost key, pointing to the kitchen when I was hungry or thirsty, directing me to the bathroom as soon as I woke in the morning, and discovering a goldmine of rare bugs when I went out looking for them. It was only after thinking about what the common denominator between all these instances was that I realized what the decrepit knife must've been doing. Pointing in the direction of what I desire.

There seems to be limitations, or rather rules, to how this little parlor trick works. It appears to be capable of autonomously directing me to what I'm craving, but it is incapable of doing so while I can perceive it. It also takes time for it to do so on its own, and the desire has to be pretty strong for it to even turn by itself at all. However, there is a workaround to this. For whatever reason, if I am to toss it up in the air and let it fall to the ground, spin it like a top, or even just hurl it at the dirt for it to tumble about, it will end by lying still and pointing in the direction of what I want. Out of these methods, the spinning of the blade seems to produce the most accurate results.

The other stipulation is that it's sometimes hard to single out the specific thing I'm trying to find. If, say, I want to find where Irisviel is hiding the cookie jar, the most pressing matter and highest priority in my mind must be that cookie jar. For example, if I simultaneously have to use the toilet, or if I happen to be far thirstier than I am hungry, the blade will point to the bathroom or the sink in the kitchen. It prioritizes what the strongest, most prominent desire in my head is, whether I'm conscious of it or not.

Other than these conditions, there seems to be no limit to the capacity of its snooping potential. I've even once set off to search around town, walking around with only the desire of "finding buried treasure", to eventually arrive at the bank of the Miongawa river (much to my displeasure). After a tedious time spent pinpointing the exact spot, I dug up a mollusk in the silt on the edge of the river. I climbed out of the river and onto the shore, wet and muddy, and pried the shellfish open with the knife, unveiling a silver bead within the soft flesh inside. I've been saving that pearl for a rainy day, intending it as a present for Irisviel.

In short, the blade does indeed seem to be magical. It may no longer create those red lines or tow my body around, but it does possess this new, helpful ability. Regardless, it has reassured me that there is some other-worldly quality about it.

While reminiscing in awe about the knife's dual-purpose as a magic compass, I feel the urge to try it again. I quickly place it down on the table and spin it, eager to see if it will direct me to the dojo once more. As soon as the blade has begun twirling, I hear footsteps approaching the doorway.

"*yaaaawn* Mm… Oh, Shirou?" I immediately recognize the voice as the other inhabitant who shares this home with me; Irisviel. I look over my shoulder to see her walking into the room, still in her pajamas and with sleepy eyes. "I shouldn't be surprised you're already up. *yawn* You always have so much energy."

"Um, actually… it's past noon." I sheepishly respond. Her tired eyes widen in surprise at this revelation.

"Ehhh?!" she whines. "Darn it… Oh! Um, wait just one sec and I'll whip up some breakfast! …Or, I guess it would be lunch now."

She rushes past the table and hurries into the kitchen, flicking the light on as she passes. I watch her for a moment as she bustles about the kitchen, feeling embarrassed by the fact that she's already comfortable enough around me to be walking throughout the house in her semi-transparent nightgown.

I turn my attention back to the spinning knife, as I hear its whirring slow down. I'm surprised to see that it's not affixed towards the dojo, as it was before. I lift my gaze to the left, following the direction it's pointing. A blush immediately stains my cheeks as I see what it's now directing me to. Irisviel. _Yeah. More often than not, it tends to direct me towards her._ I pull the object from the table and tuck it away into my pocket, wishing my embarrassment would subside.

Irisviel continues to toil in the kitchen and cook whatever it is she intends for breakfast. Even from where I'm sitting in the dining room, I can see the dark circles under her eyes, telling me just how tired she is. My earlier embarrassment vanishes and becomes replaced with sadness. _Her sleep must've been filled with night terrors once again._ I can sympathize with her in that regard, as I've had several recurring nightmares ever since the Fuyuki fire.

"Alright Shirou!" Irisviel's energetic voice draws my attention back to her. She exits the kitchen, holding a plate of food. "Breakfast is served!"

She sets the plate in front of me along with a glass of water. The dish consists of a single egg, a slice of white bread, and some stir-fried bean sprouts. I look up at her in confusion.

"Where's yours?" I ask. She seems a bit taken aback by my question.

"I-I'm not that hungry. I was actually wanting to go sleep some more- I'll eat when I get back up." A pang of guilt strikes my heart, as I realize the real reason why she's not eating. She seems to notice that I've noticed and quickly continues. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me and eat up."

After a quick hug and a head pat, she exits the room. I do as she says and begin slowly eating the dish. _…There's no seasoning._

After finishing the meager meal, I clean up the table and wash the dishes. I try my hardest not to think of our potential financial problem as I dry the plate off and set it back in the cabinet. I decide that I should go to the dojo once I'm finished.

Coincidentally, in order to reach the hall leading to the dojo, I have to pass by Irisviel's bedroom. It dawns on me that this might've been my actual destination as I slowly approach the sliding door belonging to her room. I notice my pace subconsciously slow down as I pass, until I stop as I'm right in front of it. _No, don't bother her, Shirou. Let her rest; we'll spend time with her later._

I force myself to turn away from the door. Before I can take my first step however, I hear something within her room that catches my attention. I quickly press the side of my head against the door, just to double-check my ears weren't deceiving me. Then, my suspicions are confirmed as I hear the sound again; quiet sobbing.

I gently crack the door open, careful not to let it creak. It's hard to see inside the room with the lights being off, but the dim illumination from the curtained window allows me to make out Irisviel's figure curled up beneath the covers. Her covered body occasionally trembles as she cries. I can only stomach seeing her like that for so long before I have to tear my gaze away and shut the door. I quietly press my forehead against the door and grit my teeth, fighting against the tears clawing to get out of my shut eyes. _I wish… I wish she could be happy._

This is not the first time she's shut herself within her room to cry. Every so often she gets overwhelmed for some reason and let's the tears flow. She normally tries to keep it hidden or only do it when I'm not around, but there was one time…

Not long after she adopted me and we moved in together, about a week after, she told me that there was urgent business she had to attend to one day, out of the blue. I obviously asked her what she meant and where she was going, but she was incredibly stubborn on the topic, refusing to let me know anything. I finally managed to at least squeeze out the location of where she was going, after I was nearly in tears out of concern for her. All she disclosed to me is that she was going to look for something in the forest on the western outskirts of Fuyuki.

I begged to go with her, but it ultimately ended with me sitting home alone while she went out on her excursion. It wasn't until late in the night, after my worry for where she is reached its peak, that she finally returned. She returned frazzled and teary-eyed. It was the first time I'd ever seen her composure genuinely broken. She made no effort to hide her distress and tears, and instead sought consolation from me. She held me in an unyielding embrace while she sobbed and sobbed in her bed.

She only said one thing that gave me any indication as to what in the world happened: "I couldn't see her. They wouldn't let me see her. I can't see her." That's it. Three times she stated that she was unable to see "her", and nothing more. After that night she never brought it up again and I eventually stopped asking her, as it seemed to greatly pain her when I touched the subject.

Compared to how sorrowful she was back then; this little cry session seems like nothing. However, seeing her shed tears cuts through me like a knife, no matter how many or how few. I pull myself away from her door and begin walking aimlessly down the hallway.

My troubled mind begins to think of other worrying things, not just her sadness. Like the fact that her appetite seems to grow smaller with every passing day. _Could it really just be because of our small budget? Our lack of food?_ Or perhaps how she always seems to be tired- how she's constantly taking naps, even after a full night's sleep. _Could it really just be because of nightmares?_ The premise that something- something other than depression- could be ailing her causes a dreaded, fearful sensation to spread throughout me. I recall another instance, merely a handful of weeks ago…

* * *

Irisviel had been sluggish for the entirety of the morning. It's not something that would ordinarily strike me as unusual, however there was something off about her this time. She would answer me in short, choppy responses, her eyes looked distant and blurry, her face burned bright red, and her legs and hands almost appeared to quiver as she moved or walked. I was worried, obviously, but she just continued to insist she was fine no matter how many times I asked. She insisted, until she collapsed on the floor, midsentence of telling me something.

Through great effort, I managed to get her on the bed. Her body was hot as a furnace, and beads of sweat dappled her skin that were cold to the touch. She regained clarity a short while after I draped a damp rag over her forehead. I wanted to call for help, I wanted to get her put into a hospital. However, she relentlessly assured me that she would be fine, that it's just something that happens from time-to-time. Then, after sitting next to her through a prolonged silence, she asked me something that scared me.

"Shirou…? You have no idea how happy your reliability makes me. It ensures me you're perfectly capable of independence. So, if I… if one day I disappeared, would you be alright?"

Teary-eyed, and with a start, I fearfully asked her what in the world she was trying to say. However, I received no response. She had dozed off peacefully, a smile on her face.

* * *

 _What am I going to do?_ Alongside my sadness, I feel a growing anger directed towards myself. It's an anger festering from the helplessness within me. _I wish I could fix whatever's troubling her…_

I reach the backdoor and open it so that I can exit into the backyard. The grass covering our yard shivers slightly in the wake of a cool breeze. _I wish I could mend her broken heart. I wish I could fix whatever's wrong. I just want… to protect the smile I saw back then, for the rest of her life._

I hear what sounds like thunder from above, despite there not being a single cloud in the sky. Alongside this, I feel something rustling in my pocket. I quickly stick my hand in and wrap my fingers around the only thing inside; my knife. As I extract it from my pocket, I swear I see a red crackle course along the blade for a split-second. I lift the object in front of me, resting on my open palm. Immediately, the blade turns, of its own volition, until it eventually lies still. The tip no longer points to the dojo, which only rests about 20 feet away from me. No, it points to the fence separating the yard from the street out front. I hesitate for a moment, still worrying about Irisviel's predicament, before deciding I should see what exactly the blade is pointing me towards.

I walk for what feels like an hour, until I arrive at the train station. I look around with the knife for a while, trying to figure out what I'm looking for, until I realize it's prompting me to board the train. I continue to play along, and get on right before it leaves.

I ride in silence for a while, waiting for the blade to instruct me on what to do next. It doesn't come to life until we come up on one of the farthest stops from where we initially boarded; the station near the Mion river.

I get off and follow the knife's point to the Fuyuki bridge. I grow wary because of the trauma I recently experience on this very bridge, but eventually I muster my courage and tread onward along the bridge's walkway.

After finally crossing the river, I continue following the incessant directions. I pass street after street, house after house, building after building. Eventually, once I walk past a Church on a hill and a nearby graveyard, I find myself at the edge of the city, at the forest.

Both of my feet ache from the distance I've traveled, and the skies have begun to darken from the day nearing its end and the sudden mass of clouds beginning to form. I expect whatever I've been looking for to be here, but I'm disappointed when the blade slightly adjusts its direction on my open palm, prompting me to enter the woods. Despite being exhausted, despite not wanting to continue on, I force myself to keep going, knowing I've come too far to stop now. _I must see what it's brought me out here for. What is it that I desire so far out here?_

I walk for a good while throughout the forest. At first there was something that somewhat resembled a road, but I've long since lost any trace of a trail or path. Surprisingly, as I walk deeper, the trees seem to be further spread apart, and a few clearings appear here and there.

The sudden miasma of clouds that appeared earlier have now become a deep, dark shade and they occasionally light up from the flashes of thunder. I try to ignore it, feeling too determined on the task at hand.

After walking only a short while longer, the blade suddenly becomes inanimate once more, no longer tugging or pointing in directions of its own volition. I grow fearful. I stop in a small clearing among the trees and hold the blade up in the air, on top of my open palm. I wait and wait, but the object doesn't so much as budge.

I approach the nearest tree and lower myself to sit at its trunk before placing the blade atop the dirt and giving it a spin. After spinning, it stops and points towards my immediate right. Before grabbing it and following its instructions, I grow suspicious and twirl it one more time. Once it stops, it lies pointing in the complete opposite direction.

I begin to panic and start spinning it repeatedly, finding that it points in a different direction every time. _W-Why isn't it working?! Where is the thing I'm supposed to find?_ I suddenly realize that I blindly followed the blade, making no mental notes of where I went nor where I came from. _I have no idea how to get back either!_

I give up on the knife and quickly grapple onto the tree I was sitting under before climbing up. I climb up branch after branch until I reach a height that puts me above the tops of the other trees. Due to how far in the woods I am, and from the cloudy sky, I can't tell where I am, or what direction the city is.

"Oh no…" I mutter nervously.

I make my way down the tree and to the ground again. I lean against its trunk and begin to ponder the situation I'm in and what I can do. My earlier initiative, of finding whatever the knife was directing me to, has all but left my mind completely at this point.

 _It seems like the blade sent me on a complete wild goose chase. And, unless it starts working again, I can't find my way back to the city, or else I'd risk getting even deeper into the forest, even more lost._ I begin cursing myself for following it off on a whim, even knowing about its seemingly magical qualities. _What in the world am I going to do when Irisviel wakes up and I'm not there?_

Not long after I begin to start worrying about Irisviel, something across the clearing catches my eye. A flash of pink floats through the air, being carried along by the wind. I skew my brow in confusion, not knowing what it is. After staring at it for a moment, as it flutters in the breeze, I make it out as what appears to be a flower. _A… cherry blossom? Are my eyes deceiving me?_

Genuinely thinking this might be the case, I rub both my eyes and take another look at the object flying through the air. Again, I see a cherry blossom being forcefully taken for a ride in the gale. _What's it doing all the way out here? At this time of year, no less?_ Having my interest get captured by it, I find myself beginning to walk after it. The walking soon turns into a jog as I realize how fast it's being carried away.

I follow it all the way to the edge of the clearing, where it gets caught up in one of the branches above. I don't waste any time before climbing up, not wanting to miss the chance to grab it before the wind sweeps it away again. I climb and climb until I reach the branch directly below the one holding the flower.

I carefully get a footing on the branch and slowly stand up, so that I can reach to the branch above. Unfortunately, the spacing between these are just far enough apart to where I can't reach. I ponder for a moment on what to do before deciding I'll use something to unlodge the flower and catch it as it falls. I reach into my pocket. _What better to use than the thing that drug me out here in the first place?_

I take aim and toss the knife up, hitting the flower perfectly. They both fall from the branch, and I grab the flower as it flutters down, letting the blade descend to the ground below. I stand on the branch for a moment, analyzing the object I just acquired. _It… really is a flower. How bizarre._

I descend the branches before taking footing on the ground yet again. _Well, that was interesting I suppose. However, it still doesn't really help my situation much._ I lean down to reclaim my knife from the ground, where it fell. As I'm reaching down, I hear something. From behind me, in the clearing, I hear footsteps approaching me and… ragged breathing?

 _At this point, I realize what's about to happen. This is the memory of when I met the mage, Merlin. The memory that I recall being where he gave me the arrow. However, I now know that that was just a fabrication, it never really happened. Not only that… but Merlin specifically told me we never even met in the first place._

I turn as I hear the slow footsteps nearly upon me. I turn and face him.

 _I expect to see the colorful and vibrant mage of flowers, even knowing full-well that he won't be there. What I actually see couldn't be farther from my expectation._

The sound of ragged breathing fades into obscurity, until it's gone without a trace, as if it never existed. The already cloudy sky dissipates like paint into water, unveiling an image peppered with pitch-black clouds, completely blanketing the sky above. The illusion shatters.

I finally allow my gaze to rest upon what is immediately in front of me. Standing only a couple feet away, at six feet tall, is the source of the footsteps. A man. It's hard to see anything with how dark it now is, but I can see, or rather feel, a cold gaze digging into me.

"I believe" the man suddenly begins, in a rough, emotionless voice "that belongs to me?"

I look at him, in fearful confusion, for a moment, until I realize he must be referring to that flower. I lower my gaze to the hand clutching the flower. Only, it's not a flower at all. What I'm holding, the thing I claimed from the tree just now, is a scrap of parchment. I hand it over to him, speechless. I notice strange lettering on it, what appears to be some type of cuneiform, before he tucks it away beneath his coat.

"Thanks are in order, I suppose." The man states, causing my attention to refocus on him. "Those notes are very important to me. I would've been in quite the predicament had I not reclaimed them after the wind carried them off."

"I-I…" I stutter, unsure of what to say. The situation has me somewhat petrified out of fear and confusion.

The mysterious man doesn't strike me at all as a woodsman or hiker, which begs the question of why he's out here in the middle of nowhere with me. He's quite tall and, despite his frame being slender, I can tell he's fairly muscular. His choice of clothing consists of a black hoodie, and matching dark jeans, with a simplistic tee beneath. One thing in particular that catches my eye is the Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around his left wrist as an impromptu bracelet. This would lead me to believe that maybe he's associated with the Church I came across right before entering the woods. _No, that was a Christian chapel. He wouldn't be toting Buddhist beads if he came from there._

"Hmm." He hums, his shadowed gaze tensing as he stares inquisitively at me. "Do we know each other? You seem somewhat familiar."

His question shocks me, as I have no recollection of meeting a man such as himself. I look more closely at his face, just to be sure. His raven-black hair is held back in a ponytail, making it easy to discern his facial features. His face is soft and devoid of wrinkles or damage, pairing with his clothing style to tell me he's a young man, possibly in his teens. However, something about him makes that hard to believe. His eyes.

His eyes, shadowed by his brows, are wretchedly sunken and not entirely visible, giving the air that he indeed has nothing but empty sockets where they should be. That isn't the case, though, as I can barely make out their forms beneath the shadowy veil. They stare at me, yet at the same time they don't. They appear to stare past me at something far away. They're weathered and old, telling me that this man has seen and experienced many trials and tribulations. Yet, at the same time, they're completely and terribly empty.

Yes, I've definitely never seen this man in my life. I'm positive that I would remember if that was the case. I decide to tell him so.

"I, uh… I-"

"No, nevermind." He interrupts me. "I've never met you before, my mistake." He says it with such certainty that I simply nod in response.

"What…" I begin, mustering my courage to actually converse with him "what are you doing out here?"

"I don't plan on staying here very long." He immediately answers. "You could say I'm just passing through. On my way out of Fuyuki. I'd gotten a tip that something pretty interesting unfolded here recently, but it's for naught. There's nothing of use to me here- this city is only riddled with destruction and curses around every corner-"

He stops himself and shakes his head.

"Though," he continues "I'm sure you don't want to hear me prattle on about that. I suppose I should reward you in some way for reclaiming my notes? Hmm, let's see…"

He rubs his chin, seemingly deep in thought. Almost everything about this guy screams danger and bad vibes, so I don't think I want to stick around for whatever his reward is.

"Th-That's fine, you really don't have to-"

"Ah, I know." He declares, interrupting me. "Would you care for a fortune reading?" I stare at him in confusion.

"You're a fortune teller?" I ask, doubtfully.

"For the sake of time, yes. We'll say I'm a fortune teller."

Feeling very sketched out, I lower my gaze to my feet. _I need to get my hands on the knife, in case this guy is as dangerous as he's letting on._ My eyes locate the knife, by my left shoe, and… it's pointing directly at the guy in front of me. I lift my gaze back to him, to see his eyes staring at me inquisitively as he waits for my answer. _Is it… a coincidence?_

"I…" I begin, unsure of what to do.

"Come now." The man states, encouragingly. "Wouldn't you like to learn who you truly are?"

"…ok."

I stand, even closer than before, in front of the man. Both of my hands now rest within the grips of his own, with each of his thumbs pressing against my palms. His eyes are closed, and his face filled with concentration.

I begin to reflect on the absurdity of what I'm doing. Standing out here, beneath the progressively worsening storm in the sky, with a complete stranger who is about to tell my fortune. All because I followed a random direction my knife led me to.

"I see…" The man suddenly states, recapturing my attention. "I see confusion and conflict within you. Never before have I witnessed this… Out of all the true personas I have discerned within people, yours is by far the most mystifying. Something within you is interfering; trying to change who you are. It has almost warped you completely, almost changed you down to your core, however… there's still something buried beneath."

I stare at him in confusion. His words make no sense to me. I thought I'd be getting the whole "you'll meet your true love in three years and get married with four children" spiel. However, this man is talking about things that go completely over my head. _And, honestly, I feel a strange sensation ever since he began his reading; as if I really am being looked into and analyzed._

"Um, what is-"

"Sword." He sternly states, randomly. Despite not knowing what he means, I feel a bizarre tingle course throughout me upon his uttering of the word. "Sword; that is what your being is trying to convey to me, the agenda it's trying to go with."

I open my mouth to, again, attempt to question what he means.

"However!" He continues, before I can even say a single word. "That is just a farce. It is not truly your core, just a pseudonym. No, what you truly are… is…"

He drifts off while his eyes shut tighter and his face tenses up in even deeper concentration. I find myself dead-silent, anxiously waiting what he's about to say. Despite not even understanding what's happening, what he's saying.

"It is hard to discern," he finally continues "but… it is Arrow? No! No, it's… Archery?... Archer? No, no. It's closer, but not. What it is, is something even more convoluted- something even more obscure, with a broader and more all-encompassing sense."

He falls to silence again. I find myself growing more invested in whatever it is that he's trying to figure out. All while growing more uncomfortable from his tightening grip on my hand and the dark skies beginning to light up in various spots from the rolling thunder.

Suddenly, his eyes open.

"The Concept of Archer." He mutters, releasing my hands from his grip. Finally, I can no longer contain myself.

"What in the world are you talking about?! Can I get an explanation on all of that mumbo jumbo?"

I silently remind myself after that outburst that I shouldn't get angry and shout at him. This man very well could still be out for my life. However, he seems unfazed by my shouting and instead is deep in thought.

"The Concept of Archer." He states once again. "It is who you are, the entirety of your being. It is where you came from, and where you will return to. From whence you originate."

"From where I… originate?" I question, still not fully understanding. He nods.

"I must admit, never have I witnessed one such as it. I can't tell whether it is full of substance or painfully lacking in it. If it's of poor quality or among the best. One thing I know for certain, however, is that it is under constant assault, almost completely overtaken."

"W-What do you mean? Are you referring to the Sword?" He nods at my question once more.

"A foreign interference within you is altering your core." He begins. "Your mind, body, and spirit are all being led to believe your origin is of Sword. In time, you will be completely fooled and corralled into the fraudulent origin."

"I-I can't fully grasp what you're trying to convey, but it sounds bad. What will happen if it transforms to 'Sword'?" He scoffs at my question.

"It is my theory that one cannot truly change who they really are." He explains. "One cannot completely erase or alter their origin, for it is where they originate from, what dictates their entire life… If one were to allow such a thing to transpire, it may do a number of things. It may offer a temporary relief, a coping mechanism, it may give you power, stability, whatever you want to call it, but in the end… they will end up at a destination that's not quite where they're needed to be and not quite where they want to be. More often than not, this result is a tragic and grave end."

He notices my lost expression before continuing to clarify.

"Simply put, even if you follow the path of 'Sword', you will not be able to escape the 'Concept Archer'. In the end, in some form, you will be the 'Concept Archer'… and, most likely, your existence will be confusing and traumatic."

He's still talking of things that are beyond me. Even in his simplified explanation, I've somehow only gotten more confused. He inevitably picks up on this, sighs, and gives it another shot.

"Think of it this way:" he continues "one who realizes who they truly are and adheres to that path will find the 'true ending'. One who ignores who they are, or remains blissfully unaware, will find the 'good ending'. Finally, one who tries to change who they are will arrive at the 'bad ending'." This explanation manages to instill some understanding within me.

"I see. From what you've said, then, I'm currently on the 'bad ending' route." I state, disappointedly.

"Most likely, yes."

"Then… how do I stop 'Sword' from influencing me?"

The sky continues to crackle malevolently as the blowing wind begins to grow in force, causing the trees to sway slightly. Occasional droplets moisten my skin as a very slight drizzle begins to fall. The man, after pondering my question for a moment, responds.

"I am incapable of stopping whatever alien force is causing the change to 'Sword' within you. However… there is one other method at my disposal that can prevent you from becoming it."

"What?"

He leans down to me, putting his face mere inches from mine. The sudden confrontation scares me, nearly making me jump back in surprise. His empty eyes now seem to have filled with some emotion; excitement.

"You can choose the true ending…" He states. "Awaken to your Origin. Your true Origin."

"I- I don't…" Fear fills my body. I'm completely possessed by the urge to turn and run away, leaving both him and the blade that led me to him behind. _I understand nothing this man is trying to tell me, or even if he's being truthful._

I take a shaky step behind me, feeling my back press against the trunk of the tree. _I- I want to run. More than anything, I want to escape. But…_ Something within me is refusing to allow me to flee. It's the words he spoke to me, I realize. His mentioning of both the "bad ending" and the "true ending".

"What is your name, young one?" The man asks, standing up straight.

"Shirou…" I feebly respond. "Shirou Emiya."

"Are you interested in casting aside the shell of Shirou Emiya," the man begins, offering his hand to me "and taking your first step on the path towards 'Archer'?"

Within his outstretched hand, positioned right in front of my face, is a round capsule colored a dark crimson. I'm immediately reminded of the beautiful, red irises of Irisviel's eyes as I stare into the little pill. _Irisviel. Would this "true ending"- would it help to keep her safe…? To protect the smile I saw that day?_ My hand lifts up and begins gravitating towards his.

"Will it… help me protect the one I love?"

My question evokes a victorious smile from the man. He nods his head as I reach towards his palm.

"Yes, indeed." He assures me. "Matter of fact, I'd dare say this is the only way to save whom you love. Only by embracing who you are can you hope to reach the apex of yourself. From there, lies your best chance of safeguarding that person."

Again, his words allude me. However, I somehow get the sense that he is being truthful in everything he's saying. Needless to say, I'm sure there's some catch to this. Like a wish from a genie, there will no doubt be a consequence from this, but… _But. I won't let myself think of that aspect. If it can save Irisviel, it doesn't matter what happens to me._

I pinch the capsule between my fingers, just as the drizzling rain slowly evolves into a steady downpour. Without thinking any further, I pop the crimson pill into my mouth, debating no longer. Before swallowing it, as I swish it around my mouth, I decide I should probably ask him something else.

"By the way, what's the purpose of the pill? What's in it?"

His face remains solemn and unresponsive, only his eyes offering any indication as to what he's thinking. _A glimmer of excitement still sparkles within them._ He retracts his right hand, the one that offered me the pill, and pulls it to his side before coiling back. The open hand folds shut as his fingers converge into a fist.

"Mercury." He states.

A bolt of lighting shatters the sky above, accompanied by a booming clap of thunder. I rise into the air, off of my feet, as a force collides into my lower jaw and upheaves me. The man struck me from below with an uppercut, with no warning.

The pill, which had been nestled between my molars, has its glass encasing shattered as a result of my teeth snapping shut from the powerful blow. The liquid gushes, free from its prison, and coats the inside of my mouth. _Wait. Mercury?! He said it's-_

Just as I attempt to open my mouth and spit the substance out, all while still lifted off my feet by the knuckles digging into my jaw, his hand darts from my chin and onto my face. His hand clasps around my mouth, before my lips can even budge slightly apart. The fingers fasten onto my face, tightening his grip like a vice.

"Well," he suddenly continues, causing my eyes to look down at his ever-calm face in terror "give or take. There's a few accompanying substances."

I quickly lift my hands and grab his sleeve. I tug and scratch and strike at the arm holding me in the air, but it stays as firm and unmoving as a log. At this point, I've begun to swallow some of the mercury-laced fluid down my throat.

"And now," he once more continues while coiling his left arm back and forming the hand into a strange claw shape "for the finisher."

Almost too fast for my eyes to see, he thrusts his left hand forward. I stiffen and retch as an incredible pain courses throughout my body, sprouting from my core that had just received the impact.

"Glurgh!" I grimace and gurgle beneath his hand.

A stunning, fuzzy feeling overtakes my body. My eyes roll into the back of my head as I blink out of consciousness.

…

…..

…..

 _I see… something._

 _A man on a corpse-riddled battlefield, steadying his breath while aiming an automatic rifle before pulling the trigger._

 _A squad of rugged seaman working together to load and position a broadside cannon on the deck of a Galleon._

 _An armored commander slowly hoisting his hand into the air, atop the castle walls, before slicing down the air in front of him- beckoning the men on the ground below to cleave the rope which held the trebuchet catapult loaded._

 _A hunter, donning dark woodland colors, readying an arrow as he points his bow in the direction of a bull elk- ripe with fur and meat._

 _Even bulky, savage men clad in animal pelts and plant foliage. They ready and hurl primitive weapons consisting of but a rock fastened to the end of a stick, as they charge on an ancient, walled city._

 _I see…_

"*cough* *cough* Ngh!" I cough and gasp as my eyes snap open.

My limbs tremble and shiver as rain torrents down onto my already-soaked body. I jolt up into a sitting position, despite my body threatening to give out from the pain ailing my midsection. My eyes dart around, but I see no sign of the man who'd assaulted me.

"Ugh!" I grunt as I rise onto my wobbly legs. _Then again, I can't really see much of anything with how dark it's gotten._ Aside from the illumination casted by the occasional roll of thunder, there's no light for me to see. _Nn… I wonder how long I was out for._

"With this…"

My body tenses and my eyes widen as I hear a familiar voice. _The man?! He's still here?_ Without looking, I swat my hand down to the ground and nab the blade, as if I instinctively knew where it rested. I ready myself, looking in every direction surrounding me, in case he decides to attack me again. _Though I doubt I'd stand a chance._

"…your destiny has been set into stone. Your path henceforth will be fraught with the concept of Archer."

Upon hearing it again, I realize I can't discern a direction or distance that it is from me. _It's as though he's speaking right into my ear. Or, inside my head._ After standing anxiously for a short while, I finally hear the voice continue.

"So long, young one. I wonder what will become of you… 'Archer'."

The title was directed at me in a jeering, almost mocking, tone. After hearing the voice again for the third time, I notice something else off about it. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but I'm reminded of those prerecorded messages from scam callers.

Deciding not to wait around and see if there's more, I backtrack from the muddy clearing and scurry into the dense woods. I forget to even spin my knife and see what direction home is, wanting only to get as much distance between me and that area as possible. I stumble and fumble through rain and plants as I hurry along.

 _For goodness sake… "The Concept of Archer", "good/bad endings", "origins"- I should've known from the start that I was being bs'd. Between how scary he looked, his inhuman strength, and the poison he force-fed me, I'm lucky to say I walked away in one piece._ However, if he wasn't out for my life or to conduct any unsavory acts on me, then I can only wonder what the purpose of all that was. _Would he really blow steam about all that crazy nonsense and conjure up all that exposition if he just wanted to punch me around a bit?_

I sum it all up to him just being some insane wanderer as I continue walking aimlessly through the forest. _Oh, yeah. I should probably try and see if this dumb thing can lead me back home now… Or, maybe I should just find a big tree to curl beneath and wait out this storm under?_

As I debate on what the hell I'm going to do now, I notice a faint glimmer in the distance, between the clusters of trees. _What… is that?_ I stare at it for a while, hesitantly, before finally allowing myself to begin approaching it.

Once I'm almost upon it, I realize that the "glimmer" I saw was from a cozy campfire. I approach the fire, from which I smell what is unmistakably cooked meat, as I weave between the remaining trees. The fire is in the middle of a small clearing in the woods, atop stamped down foliage and beneath an overhead canopy of sticks, twigs, and other supplies from the forest. The construct is shielding the flames from most of the unyielding rainwater.

 _This was clearly all constructed by someone, but who?_ My question is answered as I peer into the clearing from behind a tree on the perimeter. The log of a tree trunk rests atop the ground near the fire, upon which someone is utilizing it as a seat. Their back is facing me, so I can only manage a silhouette of the individual. _A small person? A child?_

"Yeah," the person suddenly calls out "I know you're back there. Why don't you come out and quit hiding like a coward?"

The voice which spoke to me was that of a young boy's, confirming my guess of it being a child. _Still, even if he's a child, the voice carried an authoritative and scary tone that I don't think I should defy._ I comply immediately and emerge from the tree line, into the clearing.

As I approach him, he turns from where he's seated on the log to face me. I'm taken slightly aback when, after having come closer, I'm greeted with the refined features of a blonde child, who's clearly foreign. _His eyes…_ The irises of his eyes are a brilliant crimson color, akin to Irisviel's own. His visage causes me to stop in my tracks.

"Who… are you?" I ask, beyond confused. My question prompts him to skew his brow at me and tap his finger against his chin, as though he's pondering on how to respond.

"I'm…" He starts, hesitantly. "You know what? For the time being, I'll allow you to just call me… Archer."


End file.
